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Maplewood tests informal chip-based budget survey at community bike rodeo
Summary
At a June 9 meeting the finance director described a chip-based, in-person survey used at a recent bike rodeo to gather resident budget priorities; staff collected about 180 chips and will repeat the engagement at upcoming events and on the city website.
Mayor Abrams and Finance Director Joe Rube described a citizen-engagement experiment the city used at a recent Fire & EMS bike rodeo to gather priorities for the 2026 budget.
Joe Rube said attendees were given 10 chips to allocate across six budget categories; families and children deposited chips at a booth and staff later tallied the results. "We ended up having 180 votes," Rube told the council, with Parks and Playgrounds receiving 51, Fire & EMS 39, Streets and Public Works 27, Police and Parks & Natural Resources 24 each, and Community Development 15.
Mayor Abrams said the informal method was a fun way to solicit participation and that the city will use the tool at future events (including the Friday night fireworks) and also promoted an online survey via QR code. She reminded residents that formal budget review sessions with public comment will be held Aug. 11 and Aug. 25, and the council must set the maximum levy in September before adopting a final levy in December.
City staff said the engagement results will inform early budget conversations and that they will share a fuller summary with council and post online.
