Today the City of Houston released its citywide budget survey as part of the city’s new outcome-based budgeting process. I believe public input into the budgeting process is imperative and that is why I created the YOUR 2 CENTS budget survey three years ago. Thanks to all of you who filled out my survey, and now I urge you to complete this new form being pushed out by the administration. I am hopeful there will be huge participation. These are your tax dollars, and we need to know your priorities. 

The city’s finance department will begin transitioning the city’s budgeting approach from incremental to outcome-based budgeting in the coming fiscal year, which starts July 2023. Outcome-based budgeting turns the budget on its head, starting with the results we demand and the price we are willing to pay rather than the programs we have and the costs they incur. I hope this means we will build the budget by deciding to fund only those programs that deliver the results we want and leave the rest behind. We need to cut down government to its most effective size and shape through strategic reviews, consolidation, and rightsizing. Outcome-based budgeting uses competition to squeeze more value out of every tax dollar and makes every program, organization, and employee accountable for results. 

Outcome-based budgeting starts with you! Complete the city’s new survey here