citizen oversight for municipal budget
March 17, 2019 4:50 PM
Is there such a thing as a Citizen Oversight Board for a city's budget? There are examples for police misconduct, but are there any such boards for fiscal oversight?
For examples of more direct (versus indirectly through electoral processes) citizen control of municipal budgets, try the search term ”participatory budgeting”. It has been implemented to greater or lesser extents in quite a few countries and there have been a lot of peer-reviewed articles and books about the process.
posted by Dip Flash at 5:02 PM on March 17, 2019
posted by Dip Flash at 5:02 PM on March 17, 2019
The city of Bakersfield voted in a 1% rise in the sales tax, somewhat earmarked for things. They chose a citizen board to oversee the use of this as it has been heavily politicized. it is good they did because there arose such a clatter.
posted by Oyéah at 5:39 PM on March 17, 2019
posted by Oyéah at 5:39 PM on March 17, 2019
I think it's somewhere between common and universal for cities to have a professional auditor, either hired externally or as an internal arm's length office.
I suspect a lot of potential financial misdeeds are going to be easier for a professional to spot; the police mostly interact with the community directly, while most city financial transactions are not as well known. Meanwhile, what is a potential infraction is more obvious in a lot of policing, while a lot of financial dealings the public seems to get upset about aren't actually misconduct, but more just different priorities or perspectives, like paying overtime for work done, or making city projects nicer than the cheapest possible job.
posted by Homeboy Trouble at 7:02 PM on March 17, 2019
I suspect a lot of potential financial misdeeds are going to be easier for a professional to spot; the police mostly interact with the community directly, while most city financial transactions are not as well known. Meanwhile, what is a potential infraction is more obvious in a lot of policing, while a lot of financial dealings the public seems to get upset about aren't actually misconduct, but more just different priorities or perspectives, like paying overtime for work done, or making city projects nicer than the cheapest possible job.
posted by Homeboy Trouble at 7:02 PM on March 17, 2019
In NYC we have the Citizens Budget Commission and the Independent Budget Office (in addition to the interplay between the mayor and the city council, as well as any independent audits that may be conducted of the city's budget). We also have participatory budgeting where people can vote to fund projects in their council districts, though this is different from citizen oversight of the budget as a whole.
posted by ferret branca at 7:31 PM on March 17, 2019
posted by ferret branca at 7:31 PM on March 17, 2019
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posted by Autumnheart at 4:53 PM on March 17, 2019