WINOOSKI, Vt. (WCAX) – It’s budget time for Vermont municipalities and city leaders in Winooski want to hear what locals have to say.
Officials are doing public outreach at different events talking with residents about how building a budget works.
They created a game giving locals $100 in play money to distribute to different departments.
People had to decide how to divvy up the money for things like public works, police, fire, community services, and capital projects. Winooski’s city manager, Elaine Wang, the exercise gives them some good feedback and shows people how difficult the budget process can be.
“A lot of folks reaction is, oh this is hard. It’s like, yes, it is. We understand a lot of folks when they are giving us feedback generally about the budget. They feel like, oh you are spending too much time here. Not enough here, they don’t necessarily have the full picture,” said Wang.
And locals who participated, like Gwen Hart, say it broadened their perspective.
“I thought it was fascinating because it really makes people see what the city officials are up against. I learned much of the budget goes to staffing and taking care of our people,” said Hart.
City officials say they plan to do more outreach in the coming weeks.