The next chapter of "the people's budget"

AS CITY HALL gears up for a new round of budgeting, it's worth remembering that as ugly as 2009's budget was, it represented an important first. The first "People's Budget" was the result of four public meetings created by the Nutter administration to get citizen feedback.

Nearly 2,000 people attended - a remarkable number showing that despite the nap-inducing intricacies of municipal budgeting, people are hungry for information about the decisions that affect their lives. Whether or not so many would have shown up if Nutter hadn't originally tried to close 11 libraries is doubtful. In fact, that early miscall might be an achievement; it galvanized people in a way that they don't often get galvanized.

And at least in part, the resulting budget reflected some of the things that the administration heard, such as preserving core services like police protection and reducing the number of cars used by city employees. The Nutter administration says it is still figuring out how it might engage the public this time around. It's also figuring out when to unroll the budget address; this typically happens in early February, but it was delayed until March last year to give more time for public input. We understand that the administration wants to figure out the best approach, but why is there a mystery here? Sure, there are logistical hurdles to setting up meetings around the city, but maybe the meetings don't need to be so elaborate; a few panel discussions or breakout sessions with several top administration officials might be enough. The point is to engage the public, not create complicated meetings. While we're at it, some more suggestions for improving the process:

Offer an online option. Public meetings are great, but not everyone can attend on a weeknight. That's why the city should also develop an online survey that could be filled out by citizens. Since the digital divide is still a big issue in Philadelphia, libraries and schools could do a special drive to solicit feedback.

Keep working with others. Last year, the city partnered with WHYY to organize the forums. The events also featured people like Uri Monson, the executive director of the budget watchdog group PICA. Bringing in outsiders to provide insight and analysis is the right way to go. It expands the conversation and gives the events credibilty. Involving others keeps the process honest.

More involvement from City Council. Last year, Council barely participated in the forums. Frank Rizzo and Bill Green attended most of the events and a few other members showed up at various times. This is probably symbolic of Nutter's overall relationship with City Council. The result: Council rejected Nutter's property tax boost and opted for a sales-tax increase that got caught in the burrs of the legislative process and nearly led to catastrophic cuts.

Make the forums more inclusive. One criticisms of the forums last year: None of the big budget forums took place in North Philly or Center City. This time around, the administration should take these into account when selecting hosts for meetings. Also, the material last year was all in English. We need translations into other languages to make sure the forums are accessible to all.

Keep the informal approach. Last year's forums featured top officials from the Nutter administration who were available to answer questions. It was engaging to see the city finance director explain debt financing to a neighborhood activist. That should be repeated this year.

Last year's budget was tough; citizen engagement in the process should be a no-brainer.

(To post your own ideas, go to www.ourmoney

philly.com) *