Residents of Dubuque can help put together next year's budget. On Saturday, the city will teach people how to use some new software - it's a budget simulation program called "Balancing Act."
Budget Director Jenny Larson says it shows how the city is funded and how the money is spent. And attendees can make changes in the next budget based on their own priorities - maybe they think the police department needs more money.
"But the flipside is in order to submit their own budget based on their priorities, it has to be balanced. So if residents would increase funding to police, they would have either to decrease funding in other programs or offset it with an increase in property taxes."
"Balancing Act" also allows Dubuque residents to look up how much they pay the city in property taxes, and then how that money is allocated to various city programs.
"My hope is it will better educate the public on how the city's budget works and how things are funded and why the're funded."
The budget simulation will be held at noon on Saturday in the Carnegie-Stout Public Library (360 West 11th Street) in Dubuque.
