Democratizing the capital budget planning and project selection process at the local level: assets and liabilities

Abstract

Historically, citizen input into the capital budgeting planning and project selection process has been sporadic and often limited to the most politically-attentive, “connected” individuals and groups. The near-sightedness of such an approach has become apparent as the public’s cynicism toward government has intensified, along with its reticence to support bond referenda, and its propensity to file equity-oriented lawsuits criticizing capital project decisions. To combat these problems, local governments across the U.S. are broadening constituent involvement in their capital budget process, especially at the front-end where possible projects are identified and selected for inclusion in the capital improvement plan. This article examines the four major approaches that are being utilized: decentralizing public hearings; using community-wide public opinion surveys to gauge public support for various projects and revenue-raising options; expanding citizen access and input to, and feedback from, government interactive data bases; and creating more formalized roles for citizens on capital budget planning committees. Each of these approaches has its own assets and liabilities which are delineated.

Citation

MacManus, S.A. (1996), "Democratizing the capital budget planning and project selection process at the local level: assets and liabilities", Journal of Public Budgeting, Accounting & Financial Management, Vol. 8 No. 4, pp. 406-427. https://doi.org/10.1108/JPBAFM-08-04-1996-B006