Case Study: Charles County builds a balanced, tax-neutral budget with Zencity

Charles County builds a $594.29 million balanced budget with Zencity

Charles County, Maryland faced the challenge of developing a balanced budget that preserved essential services without raising broad property or income taxes. They needed to prioritize community needs and align their budget with resident values. To achieve this, the county partnered with Zencity and used its Engage platform to gather direct input from the community.

Using Zencity Engage, the county hosted a comprehensive feedback initiative that revealed a resident preference for targeted tax adjustments. This data-driven input directly informed the creation of a $594.29 million general fund budget that avoided broad tax increases. Instead, Zencity enabled the county to implement a targeted recordation tax increase, resulting in a transparent and equitable process that built community trust and set a new standard for resident-informed governance.

Charles County