Four steps to ensure your budget prioritizes equity

When you think of municipal budgets, the first thing that comes to mind is likely numbers. Many rows and many columns of numbers. But veteran municipal leaders know that successful budgets are about far more than numbers—they’re about quality of life and opportunities for every person in a community.

For this reason, the budget process is incredibly important. It is a key factor in achieving—or failing to achieve—equity in your community. That is, ensuring that each member of your community has the resources they need to succeed right alongside their neighbors. When municipal leaders budget equitably, they support those who need it most, they build trust, and they make long-term investments in their community.

Below, find four steps to ensure your next budget prioritizes equity:

Step 1: Define equity. If your budget is going to promote equity, first you must understand the concept. According to the Milken Institute School of Public Health at George Washington University, “Equity recognizes that each person has different circumstances and allocates the exact resources and opportunities needed to reach an equal outcome.” With that broad definition in mind, apply the concept to the specifics of your community. The nuances are key: A suburban community in North Carolina will have a different definition of equity than a dense, urban neighborhood in New York City. As you define equity in your community, ask questions like: Which neighborhoods or populations are the most vulnerable? Which members of the community are currently in the most need?

Step 2: Engage. To truly achieve equity, it’s not enough to simply identify needs. You also need to work alongside the community members who are most impacted to meet them. Dedicate time to engage with community members directly and hear from them what their needs are. Hold town halls and virtual gatherings, visit popular spots downtown and talk to locals—and make sure you’re doing this engagement in an inclusive way. Oftentimes, the equitable budgeting process ends up off track because of a lack of investment or enthusiasm engaging stakeholders. So, it’s imperative that engagement meets people where they are: work around people’s working hours, transportation options, languages, and other characteristics. Only then will you truly hear from the whole community.

Step 3: Finalize Objectives: After you engage with the community, you should have plenty of data—the who, what, when, where, and why to guide a more equitable budget. Use this data to set clear objectives for the future. Make sure your objectives are ambitious, but also attainable. If your goals are unreachable, your budget will constantly look like it’s failing, and the community will feel they were over promised. Also, ensure your objectives are clearly defined and have precise timetables, otherwise, they’ll fall by the wayside. For example, it’s not enough for an objective to read: “Launch program to help the elderly community.” Instead, it should read more like: “Institute a subsidized grocery delivery service for senior residents by this spring.”

Step 4: Create accountability: No matter how pitch-perfect your objectives may be, they are only effective if there’s accountability. Build accountability into your budget by creating metrics to measure success. For example, “More than 100 seniors enroll in grocery delivery service.” Or, “At least 80 percent of seniors surveyed report more affordable groceries.” Creating specific metrics and data points that measure success or failure allow you to conduct fast, actionable evaluations of your work. Another key element of accountability is establishing a set of stakeholders to oversee progress towards key objectives. Ensuring team members are responsible for specific objectives ensures that none will slip through the cracks.

Equity might not be the first thing that leaps to mind at the outset of a budgeting process, but it’s definitely among the most important elements. Carefully understanding your community’s needs, and then meeting them, will pay dividends long term, both in terms of economic growth and in the development of trust between city and citizen.

Celeste Frye, AICP is co-founder and CEO of Public Works Partners LLC, a WBE/DBE/SBE certified planning and consulting firm specializing in multi-stakeholder initiatives and building strong connections across the nonprofit, government and private sectors. For more information, visit www.publicworkspartners.com.