Unlocking Boston’s budget
Until this year, three books, 860 pages, and almost three inches of data-rich Boston budget and performance information was buried in a PDF format.
This year, the Budget Office worked closely with the City’s Digital Team to unlock this budget information with the public in three new ways: an in-depth budget website, a quick 100-second video on how the budget works, and live streams of budget presentations on Facebook and YouTube.
On our new website:- A Dorchester resident can look at an interactive map of the City and see infrastructure projects - like the Fields Corner Library or Garvey Playground - in their neighborhood.
- A BPS parent can learn about the education investments we are making in this budget such as extending the school day. They can also read about the challenges Boston has with its state education revenue sources and Mayor’s legislative proposals to fix those challenges.
- A little league coach can find that the Parks budget is rising by 4.7% and that we are investing in a rotation of small renovations at neighborhood ball fields to keep them safe and playable.
- And a fiscal watchdog can learn about our work to control costs - projected at $60 million in costs avoided in FY18 - and maximize the revenue sources we already have.
It’s important for us that people understand the budgeting process, so we made a video using a real example, our investment in a hokey street cleaner for every Public Works District, from this year’s operating budget.
