Casper staff report public input, data gaps in priority-based budgeting pilot

City staff updated the Casper City Council on the two-year priority-based budgeting pilot, reporting nearly 470 survey responses and an initial inventory of roughly 520 programs drawn from current budget documents.

City Manager Carter and Jill, a city staff member working on the pilot, told council the work has produced successes — a program inventory and cost data from the 2026 budget — but also identified two problems that must be fixed before staff can produce a usable priority matrix: inconsistent definitions of what counts as a “program” and incomplete citywide cost allocation for programs that span departments.

"We have actually 520 programs, which have been identified by city staff," Jill said. She added that the initial inventory was created partly through automated tools and needs human review: "AI is great. I think it's a great way to start the conversation, but now we need to go through and really evaluate what goes with what."

The update outlined why consolidation and standardized costing matter. Jill said some items recorded as separate programs are better treated as subcomponents of a single program — for example, staff training tied to the annual audit should be part of an audit program rather than a separate program. Without consolidation, the matrix produces inconsistent results, she said.

Council members pressed whether the upfront work is sustainable. Councilor Sweeney asked if the heavy effort is front‑loaded or ongoing; Jill responded the effort is front‑loaded and should be easier to maintain once program definitions and cost allocations are set up and linked to budget entries.

Carter and Jill said staff and Tyler Technologies will continue the work and return to council once the program inventory is consolidated and citywide costing is in place so the matrix will produce meaningful, comparable results. Jill said her current goal is to reduce the inventory to under 100 consolidated programs but added that there is no single correct number for every city.

The pilot is intended to provide a communication tool for citizens — showing what the city does and how much it costs — and to help council identify programs that could be reduced or reallocated when revenues decline. Jill said the pilot will also include an "insights report" from Tyler Technologies showing how other governments reduced costs in comparable programs and where savings might be possible.

Staff did not request formal council action in tonight’s update; they said they will return with the consolidated matrix and costing deliverables for council review.

Ending

Councilors asked staff to continue work with Tyler Technologies, to return with a consolidated program inventory and citywide cost allocations, and to present the revised matrix and the partner insights report at a future meeting for council consideration.