The community may now complete a survey to let the City know their funding priorities for the coming 2021 fiscal year. The survey is available in English, Spanish, Khmer and Tagalog.
The public survey which can be found here has been developed to help the City determine General Fund priorities. The survey is available online in English, Spanish, Khmer and Tagalog.
The full survey takes approximately 15 minutes to complete in one sitting. The survey lists 36 different services that are representative of those that are funded in large part by the City’s General Fund. Those who wish to take the survey are asked to rate the services by how they believe they make the City of Long Beach “better” according to the instructions given. At the end of the survey it is then asked that one input their zip code, council district, age, the number of people in their household and a write in option regarding any of the survey items, or things the survey did not cover.
Services and concerns that are mentioned in the survey include: low-cost recreation programs; repairing public buildings and streets; Preparing the community for emergencies; law enforcement; libraries; ocean pollution; and the city’s attractiveness.
The City of Long Beach has an average annual budget of approximately $3 billion. About 80% of the annual budget is tied to designated funds that limit how the funding can be used. The remaining 20% of the budget pays for most of the City’s public facing resources such as streets and sidewalks, police patrol, fire response, parks and recreation and library services.
The Proposed FY 21 Budget is expected to be made available at longbeach.gov by early August and virtual town halls regarding the proposed budget will take place in August. Information on these virtual events will be forthcoming later this month.
The City of Long Beach states that constraints on the FY 21 budget development include an expected budget shortfall, due to the impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic. In total, the FY 21 budget must solve for a $30 million deficit in the City’s General Fund.
The FY 21 budget also will be the City’s first budget since approving the Framework of Reconciliation. These public listening sessions were put on by the City “to catalyze recommendations for the City Council to consider related to the existence and long-standing impacts of systemic racism in Long Beach”. The Budget Prioritization Survey is another opportunity to share feedback with the City Council about what items should be prioritized.
Learn more about the City’s adopted budget and view the 2020 budget document.
