CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. How to engage your constituents on the budget. Dear Robert: If it’s true that voting is the ultimate form of public engagement, then the results of last week’s election showed that Americans are super engaged. Regardless of whether your candidate did or didn’t win in the recent election, one remarkable fact is that it blew the lid off previous voter turnout records. Nearly 148 million votes have been cast and it looks possible that rates of participation could top highs not seen since the early 20th century—an era before women were allowed to vote. The question for local government officials is whether this interest will carry over to the many critical, high profile issues before cities and counties; issues that are front and center in people’s lives such as how to respond to the coronavirus pandemic, how to manage the effects of the recession, and how to respond to calls for racial justice and equity. Many local government officials, both elected and professional staff, have long sought a more productive way to engage residents. The staples of public engagement—town hall meetings and hearings—are stale and have few fans. In most instances, they generally serve to amplify the squeakiest wheels in the community and are often viewed merely as a legal requirement to be checked off. It doesn't have to be this way. Amidst the current public health restrictions on face-to-face meetings, many cities and counties have found a better way to address the most foundational yet least understood issue in local government—the budget. New cloud-based technology makes it possible to quickly build and launch budget simulations<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://cigt.maillist-manage.com/click.zc?od=27218d28c96aa859e04bb18f392081dea06e495b3773da282&repDgs=1a17c91f0a993fdd&linkDgs=1a17c91f0a9947a0__;!!LGX2LR-tWgttPq0!TjTL4Y86NrxtSQxvVsn59JVJexT0JOvfQPEGrAPofV4vKv231H7FDEo0_dcYHkeQpS42O2en$> that educate residents and provide you informed, realistic input. Balancing Act<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://cigt.maillist-manage.com/click.zc?od=27218d28c96aa859e04bb18f392081dea06e495b3773da282&repDgs=1a17c91f0a993fdd&linkDgs=1a17c91f0a9947a2__;!!LGX2LR-tWgttPq0!TjTL4Y86NrxtSQxvVsn59JVJexT0JOvfQPEGrAPofV4vKv231H7FDEo0_dcYHkeQpQnBDdXi$> is a multi-award winning online budget simulation used by cities and counties such as Denver, Tacoma, Milwaukee County and Norfolk. In 2019, Roseville, California won the Government Finance Officers Association Award for Excellence for its use of the tool. According to City Manager Dominick Casey, “Balancing Act gave our community a chance to sit in the City Manager’s chair and make budget decisions among all of the quality-of-life services we provide. People commented on how hard that role is, and that insight proved valuable in building trust.” You can read a case study on Roseville’s award winning initiative here<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://cigt.maillist-manage.com/click.zc?od=27218d28c96aa859e04bb18f392081dea06e495b3773da282&repDgs=1a17c91f0a993fdd&linkDgs=1a17c91f0a9947a4__;!!LGX2LR-tWgttPq0!TjTL4Y86NrxtSQxvVsn59JVJexT0JOvfQPEGrAPofV4vKv231H7FDEo0_dcYHkeQpRG7SXWa$>. Are you interested in learning how Balancing Act budget simulation could help you meet this moment of high interest in government? If so, reply to me or request a demo<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://cigt.maillist-manage.com/click.zc?od=27218d28c96aa859e04bb18f392081dea06e495b3773da282&repDgs=1a17c91f0a993fdd&linkDgs=1a17c91f0a9947a6__;!!LGX2LR-tWgttPq0!TjTL4Y86NrxtSQxvVsn59JVJexT0JOvfQPEGrAPofV4vKv231H7FDEo0_dcYHkeQpeztBx4t$>. Our team will gladly show you the benefits of using our tool. It’s affordable, easy to set up, and there is nothing to install. Sincerely, Chris Adams President [https://campaign-image.com/zohocampaigns/727271000000359067_1603930647377_logo_as_jpeg.jpg] Chris Adams President 1700 Lincoln St, 17th Floor Denver, CO 80203 303/877-0111 [https://campaign-image.com/zohocampaigns/727271000000359067_1603930647317_gt100_2020_primage_1200x630.jpg] <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://cigt.maillist-manage.com/click.zc?od=27218d28c96aa859e04bb18f392081dea06e495b3773da282&repDgs=1a17c91f0a993fdd&linkDgs=1a17c91f0a9947a8__;!!LGX2LR-tWgttPq0!TjTL4Y86NrxtSQxvVsn59JVJexT0JOvfQPEGrAPofV4vKv231H7FDEo0_dcYHkeQpYQJwbII$> [https://campaign-image.com/zohocampaigns/727271000000359067_1603930647257_2.png] <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://cigt.maillist-manage.com/click.zc?od=27218d28c96aa859e04bb18f392081dea06e495b3773da282&repDgs=1a17c91f0a993fdd&linkDgs=1a17c91f0a9947aa__;!!LGX2LR-tWgttPq0!TjTL4Y86NrxtSQxvVsn59JVJexT0JOvfQPEGrAPofV4vKv231H7FDEo0_dcYHkeQpXiRexrj$> Unsubscribe<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://cigt.maillist-manage.com/ua/optout?od=27218d28c96aa859e04bb18f392081dea06e495b3773da282&rd=1a17c91f0a993fdd&sd=1a17c91f0a99a199&n=124296e040a6d3__;!!LGX2LR-tWgttPq0!TjTL4Y86NrxtSQxvVsn59JVJexT0JOvfQPEGrAPofV4vKv231H7FDEo0_dcYHkeQpYE3TvjG$> This email was sent by [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]> to [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]> Not interested? 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