Case Study: City of Calgary achieves public input on strategic budget planning with Delib’s Budget Simulator

City of Calgary shapes budget planning with Delib in a 17-day consultation

The City of Calgary faced the challenge of involving its citizens in a major strategic planning process, which included setting a high-level budget. The administration, led by Mayor Naheed Nenshi, needed to genuinely open up the difficult question of budget planning to public participation in a way that was both educational and accessible. They worked with vendor Delib and used their Budget Simulator product as part of the solution.

Delib's Budget Simulator allowed citizens to try creating a balanced budget based on actual spending choices. Over a 17-day consultation period, thousands of people participated, gaining a better insight into the budgeting process. The results from the simulator closely matched the city's final budget proposals, with the council opting for a tax increase of 5.2%, just 0.05% less than the average response from the public.

City of Calgary