OKC looking for input on city budget, community needs in new feedback site
Oklahoma City staff members are hoping a new website tool will aid residents in giving feedback for the upcoming city budget slated to be adopted in June.
Vision, unveiled three months ago, is the name of the responsive website run by the city's communications team. Staff see it as a centralized hub for more interactive and deeper engagement from members of the public on budget issues and critical needs over the next month and beyond.
“If someone sends me an email and says, ‘Hey, you should add a park,’ — that’s a great point, and we will look at that," said Christian York, the city's budget director. "The question is, what are you willing to give up, or what are you willing to prioritize over that? So, there needs to be a dialogue.”
Residents can submit ideas, no matter how big or small, and hold conversations about those ideas with communications staff and each other at https://vision.okc.gov/.
In the "Budget Feedback" section, the page functions as a web forum where visitors can leave comments and replies in community threads. Elsewhere on the site, people can add an idea card or use the webpage map to drop a pin on a location they think deserves more attention. Staff will share the data with other city departments to better prioritize projects and fulfill community needs.
“We really want to strive for meaningful engagement, and so many times, whether that’s MAPS or any other department, we want to take that and really incorporate ideas and listen to people," said Zach Nash, communications and engagement manager for Oklahoma City. "But people are just kind of overwhelmed, and there’s possibilities for engagement fatigue. And so, with a site like this, not only can we capture data, we can capture information for specific topics. But what we’re really looking to do is kind of overlap and share information that might be beneficial for different departments and different projects.”
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In the past, the city used the mobile app OKC Connect, which is typically how residents report code violations to the city's Action Center, as an additional way of gathering feedback on community needs for major funding packages, like the Better Streets Safer City initiative.
"It wasn’t made for that, but it was the only tool we had at the time," Nash said.
This time, city staff members are hopeful the new Vision website will help expand access for input from residents on the proposed $2 billion city budget proposal.
OKC budget comment period open until May 20
The formal 20-day comment period for the city budget proposal opened Tuesday, the same day the city’s police and fire departments presented their proposals for the budget.
“We’ve typically extended that, and I’m open to doing that this year as well, but I think our process will change so maybe that won’t be necessary,” York said.
The three-week period for public comment is currently scheduled to close on May 20, ahead of an Oklahoma City Council meeting on May 28, where city staff also will present a summary of comments to the council. June 4 will be the final public hearing on the budget as city council formally adopts the plan for the next fiscal year.
Ward 7 Councilwoman Nikki Nice said the 20-day comment period is too short of a window to gather feedback from residents. York and Nash acknowledged that the three-week window does present challenges, and hope the new website's engagement features can help drive future feedback year-round.
Beyond the budget this month, Nash also said the Vision platform will play a key role in how the city collects feedback soon for the next general bond issue, which will continue to fund and address critical infrastructure needs.
'Willing to listen': Action Center works across the spectrum of Oklahoma City complaints
Where to share budget comments
Residents can leave feedback through several pathways:
Email budgetcomments@okc.gov
Text 405-252-1053.
Comments also can be mailed to the city clerk’s office at 200 N Walker Ave., 2nd floor, Oklahoma City, OK 73102.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKC Vision website allows residents to give feedback on issues
