Written by Samantha Buran and Brooke Barnett
Across the nation, there has been a growing call for government accountability, particularly as it relates to city government budgets and their budgeting processes. For example, in Indianapolis, there have been public calls for public safety reforms, increased funding for rental assistance, and other related items.
The mayor and Indianapolis City-County Council are responsible for adopting the annual budgets for both the city and Marion County. This process includes formal public notices about the proposed budget, as well as formal council meetings where residents may provide their input on the proposed budget. This year, there will be an additional opportunity for residents to engage in the budgeting process.
In a first-of-its-kind effort in Indianapolis, O’Neill IUPUI graduate students Samantha Buran and Brooke Barnett will administer an online survey to better understand what residents and workers of the Circle City and Marion County value and how they would like to see that reflected in the city’s budget. Similar surveys have been conducted in cities such as Chicago and Austin.
The results of the survey will be shared with the City-County Council and the public. Researchers Buran and Barnett are hopeful that the results of the survey will help decision makers create a budget that reflects the values of Indianapolis citizens moving forward.
From February 10 through March 24, 2021, the Indianapolis Budget Survey will be available for anyone who lives and/or works in Indianapolis to complete. The survey will take approximately 10 minutes to complete and is available in both English and Spanish.
To further enhance the results of the survey, residents also can opt in to being contacted for focus groups on this topic in the future. Anyone interested in taking the survey can access it at indybudgetsurvey.com.
