Neighborhood Councils are responsible for:

  • appointing or electing two (2) Budget Representatives pursuant to their Bylaws
  • having their Treasurer and/or President serve as de facto Budget Representative in the event no Budget Representative is designated or becomes unavailable during the term
  • placing a Budget Advocate report on each agenda during which one of the Budget Representatives will report on Budget Advocate activities during the previous period
  • promoting and encouraging board members and stakeholders to participate in Budget Day at City Hall and in Regional Budget Day in their area
  • encouraging board members and stakeholders engage with the Budget Advocates in areas of interest and/or expertise
  • facilitating Budget Advocate surveys by publicizing and actively encouraging board members and stakeholders to participate

Budget Representatives (collectively per NC) are responsible for:

  • soliciting input from their NC & stakeholders on priorities in their area and suggestions to improving City efficiency, increasing City income and reducing costs
  • attending Budget Day, expressing the issues of concern to their NC & stakeholders, voting for Budget Advocates
  • contacting one of the Budget Advocate co-chairs if cannot reach Budget Advocate for their Region or if have other concerns
  • soliciting input from their NC & stakeholders on an ongoing basis as City political issues evolve and communicating it to the Budget Advocates on a monthly basis
  • ensuring a Budget Advocate report is on every NC agenda
  • reporting on Budget Advocate activities, concerns
  • encouraging stakeholders to join the Budget Advocates on areas of their concern and/or expertise
  • help set up, solicit attendance and coordinate one event during the year (tentatively January in 2017)
  • suggest/self-nominate Budget Reps for the following Fiscal Year and help advertise/solicit attendance at Budget Day 2017

Budget Advocates are responsible for:

  • electing their executive officers
  • attending twice-monthly BA meetings plus presentations to the City Council committees and Mayor as appropriate
  • learning about how the City’s finances work (starting with attending Budget Day) and researching applicable information as needed to prepare for meetings
  • if returning, mentoring new BAs as determined by the Co-Chairs (input appreciated)
  • if a first-time BA, working with a mentor to facilitate your work and provide feedback
  • if you have a City budget-related passion, suggesting it at the retreat as a project to pursue during the year
  • helping develop the Budget Advocate survey to target concerns specific to this year’s goals
  • committing to coordinate/interview/draft and edit reports in connection with aims of the Budget Advocates as determined at their 2nd (retreat) meeting – these can be with senior staff of City departments in connection with the White Paper, senior staff at City Councilmember’s offices in connection with addressing City services
  • reviewing and commenting upon reports and the White Paper
  • distributing the survey and encouraging as many stakeholders to respond as possible to ensure the demographic spread and numbers to produce valid results
  • working with the other BAs in your Region to synopsize Budget Advocate activities on an ongoing basis and send monthly reports on what BAs are doing to your Region’s Budget Reps to report at their NC meetings
  • working with the other BAs in your Region to solicit stakeholders to help with BA projects
  • working with the other BAs in your Region to attend meetings at every NC in your Region, as necessary but at least 2x/year per NC, to support the Budget Reps
  • helping coordinate Regional Budget Day and report back to the BAs on what transpired
  • helping on other projects as needed
  • promoting and producing Budget Day 2017