LIU: LAST CALL FOR PUBLIC TO WEIGH IN ON NYC SPENDING VIA ‘PEOPLE’S BUDGET’ WEBSITE
‘Voting’ Closes June 2; Online Tool Enables Citizen Participation in Gov’t
New York City Comptroller John C. Liu issued a "last call" for the general public to weigh in on City spending via The People’s Budget NYC website. "Voting" closes June 2 in order to allow the Comptroller to incorporate the top three proposals on the site into his upcoming budget testimony before the City Council on June 5.
"While the response has been robust, we want to again encourage as many New Yorkers as possible to take advantage of this opportunity by logging on to The People’s Budget NYC site and making their voices heard," Comptroller Liu said. "This type of crowd-sourcing can help produce a budget that is fairer and truly serves the people."
Already, 5,316 votes have been cast by 867 total users, and 124 ideas have been posted. Comptroller Liu testifies to the City Council in June, when he next fulfills his City Charter-mandated duties to comment and advise on the Mayor’s budget. Feedback from The People’s Budget NYC will be included in his testimony, and the period of voting on proposals ends Sunday, June 2 at 11:59 p.m.
The site can be accessed at: http://peoplesbudgetnyc.com/
The People’s Budget NYC website is based on "The People’s Budget" report, unveiled by the Comptroller last month, which identified some $15 billion of new revenues over the next four fiscal years and nearly the same amount of new investments. Proposals include investing more in schools, hiring more police officers, creating affordable housing, cutting taxes on small businesses, and keeping libraries open longer hours.
The site was developed using the IdeaScale platform – an easy-to-use, yet powerful tool for the collection of feedback and ideas. The platform’s interactive features allow users to vote ‘thumbs up’ or ‘thumbs down,’ discuss, and suggest new budget ideas. It also includes functionality to share budget ideas with others through email, Twitter, and Facebook.
Background
Press Release: Liu Launches Online Tool to ‘Crowd-Source’ City’s $70 Billion Budget (May 7, 2013)
http://www.comptroller.nyc.gov/press/2013_releases/pr13-05-069.shtm
Press Release: "The People’s Budget" (April 10, 2013) http://comptroller.nyc.gov/press/2013_releases/pr13-04-052.shtm
Report: "The People’s Budget" (April 10, 2013)
http://comptroller.nyc.gov/bureaus/opm/reports/2013/NYC-Comptroller-Liu-Peoples-Budget.pdf
Video: Liu Proposes "The People’s Budget" at ABNY Breakfast (April 10, 2013)