Here’s what Duvall said after using the pulse pads:
“The system was very useful. I received results from the audience that I didn't expect. The audience was occasionally surprised at the results.“It seemed to defuse the very vocal minority in the audience. After two or three questions, they realized that they were not speaking for everyone, as they may have thought. It gave everyone an equal opportunity to give their opinion, even those tentative to speak.
“I also feel that it showed people that we do desire their opinion, and that we went the extra mile to get it.”
Communicating your budget to your citizens
An AWC Toolkit
This toolkit includes a series of checklists, articles and templates that cities of all sizes can use to communicate more effectively with their citizens. Use in your newsletters, on your website and give to your local media to explain issues like budget, or street maintenance, or the impacts of initiatives and the value of essential city services.
What's below:
- Reach out to your citizens
- Connect with your media
- Communicate your budget info
- Show your tax dollars at work
Reach out to your citizens
As budgets tighten and your choices become more difficult, it's important to ask your citizens what they think.
Connect with your media
The following checklists give you practical information for working effectively with your local media.
- How to control your story: Tips for working with the media (pdf, 44 kb)
- Editorial board meetings (pdf, 21 kb)
- 5 easy steps to writing an op-ed (pdf, 19 kb)
- How to write a letter to the editor (pdf, 19 kb)
- How to write a press release (pdf, 21 kb)
- How to write a media advisory (pdf, 18 kb)
- Press kit ingredients (pdf, 20 kb)
Communicate your budget info
This section includes samples from citizen newsletters, web pages, special budget reports, PowerPoint presentation to citizens, and op-ed piece for a local paper.
- Lynnwood's Preliminary Budget Presentation (pdf, 110 kb)
- City of Shoreline Currents: Special 2003 Budget Issue (pdf, 643 kb)
- City of Burien: Financial Report (pdf, 508 kb)
- Value of Your City of Port Angeles Dollar (pdf, 346 kb)
- City of Des Moines Budget Report (pdf, 200 kb)
- Property Taxes in Kent for 2004 (pdf, 24 kb)
- Vision Tukwila Meetings (pdf, 217 kb)
The Hazelnut, City of Tukwila - Do You Know Where Your Sales Taxes Go (pdf, 105 kb)
Lacey Life, City of Lacey - A Look at Property Tax Revenues and Public Safety Costs (pdf, 125 kb)
Lacey Life, City of Lacey
Show your tax dollars at work
Here are some ideas to communicate your budget to your citizens.
- Snapshots
- Fire department (pdf, 26 kb)
- Police department (pdf, 26 kb)
- Park & rec department (pdf, 26 kb)
- City streets (pdf, 25 kb)
- Library (pdf, 25 kb)
- What do you get for your city tax dollar?
- Your property tax dollar serving you (pdf, 24 kb)
- Your city provides you with essential services (pdf, 13 kb)
- Do you know where your sales taxes go? (pdf, 13 kb)
- Coloring book (pdf, 714 kb)