GREAT FALLS — The City of Great Falls is encouraging residents to use the city’s budget balance simulator to help the city put together the budget for the next fiscal year.
The online program allows you to create a budget for the city. You start with the budget that has been proposed and can then add or subtract money from departments and programs to create your own budget.
When you’re done, you can submit it (anonymously) to the city, and commissioners will use it to help decide what, if any, changes to make to the proposed budget before voting on it.
Visitors to the site are greeted with a message from Great Falls mayor Bob Kelly:
"We've seen that lots of people go in and view the tool, and to me that tells me that they're just trying to educate themselves. We actually haven't received many submissions from people balancing the budget their own way, so that's why we're trying to get the word out there a little bit more,” said Kirsten Myre, Great Falls Deputy Finance Director.
City Commissioners will host a public hearing for the budget on July 5 and will vote on the budget July 20.
