Priority based budgeting resident tools empower Pittsburgh residents

The City of Pittsburgh Launches New Budget Transparency Tool on City Website
See how the city uses taxes through the budget to meet resident priorities. You can explore budget spending data and join the conversation!

The City of Pittsburgh sent out a press release on Wednesday, September 14, 2022, announcing a new resident-facing website with budget visualization functionality intended to include city residents in the budget process. Read the official release here.

The Office of Management and Budget in conjunction with the Office of Mayor Ed Gainey launched today a new method for residents to learn about the City budget. This transformative, digital tool creates a space for data transparency and awareness for the City’s Priority Based Budgeting initiative. The budget is one of the most powerful tools for influencing change and this web page empowers residents to learn more about what our city’s priorities are by looking at how Pittsburgh plans to spend its money. When residents are empowered with information and tools like this, we can create a City where everyone has the opportunity to thrive.

“Pittsburgh’s Priority Based Budget initiative ensures the decisions we make in City government reflect the will of the people in our City,” said Mayor Ed Gainey. “This new tool enables residents to understand the budget on a deeper level. By providing this information in an easily digestible way, we are creating a better Pittsburgh where every resident has access to the information they need to engage with city government in a meaningful way. I want to thank our partners – ResourceX, Delivery Associates-Digital, and Bloomberg Philanthropies – for their support on this project.”

Deputy Director of Budgeting, Patrick Cornell states, “Our goal is to be sure that people have a clear understanding of what we spend their taxes on, and what public value is generated.” Cornell continued, “Our hope is that sharing clear, timely, transparent data with the community can help us to co-design policies and programs to help engage residents in our public service efforts.”

This project was spearheaded by the Office of Management & Budget (OMB), in partnership with ResourceX, an organization specializing in priority-based budgeting, Delivery Associates-Digital, a leading public sector technology group, and supported by the Bloomberg Philanthropies American Cities Climate Challenge. The Budget hub link here is designed for easy navigation and provides critical information with speed and simplicity. A key feature of the hub is the menu of interactive budget charts (“Explore the Budget”) with near-real-time data that help users understand the allocation of the City’s budget across different departments and the degree of alignment with the community’s priorities. All data is available to be exported in different formats.  

Through a combination of videos, animations, and data visualizations, the Budget Hub starts by providing a non-technical and easy-to-understand explanation of what the Priority-Based Budget is and how it works in practice. It also includes a News & Resources section with posts on recent events, guides, and presentations, including a list of frequently asked questions on the budget process. Most critically, the Budget Hub is intended to be an instrument to facilitate dialogue between the City government and Pittsburgh residents about the budget priorities.

The Priority Budget Hub is the only platform that provides a dynamic resident-focused priority-based budget visualization dashboard. Engage in resource allocation discussions with your community and team!

Some key features and benefits: