Discussion meetings around the city are underway for the proposed 2013 budget, which was announced last week by Mayor Bob Foster and City Manager Pat West. But now, citizens are able to create financial solutions from their home computer with a new interactive online budget simulation that was released on Wednesday. 

Dubbed the Long Beach Budget Challenge, the simulation gives citizens a transparent, inside look at the the $17 million General Fund deficit facing the city next year by letting them attempt to balance the budget themselves. In the process, they will learn more about the budget process and also how their choices in one area affect services in another.

“Long Beach can no longer provide the levels of service its residents have come to expect, and some very difficult decisions must be made,” Foster said. “The Long Beach Budget Challenge exercise lets residents ‘balance’ the City’s budget, by deciding how much money to spend for public works, libraries, parks and recreation, public safety, and other City services—and how to pay for them.”

The General Fund is the fund that supports most traditional city services such as police, fire, libraries and parks. It is the only fund that can be used with no restrictions and balancing its revenues versus spending amounts is required each year (unlike with the federal government, which can accumulate debt).

For the last decade, however, Long Beach’s General Fund revenues have been insufficient to keep up with current services.  Cuts have been made slowly across departments of the last few years, with major pension reform being introduced as part of this year’s proposal.

The interactive challenge is cleanly designed and easy to navigate, like you’re registering for a Twitter account. Each department has its own section that describes its responsibilities and provides a range of options such as “spend $0.8 million,” “cut $4 million” or “status quo.” There’s even a button to suggest a new policy choice. A red bar on the right side of the screen starts at $17.2 million and tallies up your savings until the debt is reduced to zero.

When you’re done, participants will be able to see how their results compare to those of other participants and the cumulative results will be reviewed as part of the budget development process. Though the results are not an official survey and should not be taken as representative of the public at large, the interactive “challenge” is a great way for citizens to engage with the civic processes that affect their daily lives.

Take the Long Beach Budget Challenge at the City of Long Beach’s website.