IRG Launches State Budget Dashboard

May 19, 2021 | Mentions, Press Release

Gives the public the ability to craft their own budget, weigh in on Gov Evers’ proposed plan

Madison, Wis. — Today, the Institute for Reforming Government launched a new interactive website that allows the general public to build their own state budget. The first-of-its-kind dashboard in Wisconsin gives people an insight into the world of a state lawmaker by allowing the public to:

  1. Start with the surplus that Governor Evers’ inherited.
  2. Determine spending levels for critical items like K-12, healthcare, higher education, and state agencies.
  3. Raise taxes or cut them.
  4. Decide to adopt Governor Evers’ budget revenue and spending priorities or create something new.

“This new tool allows all Wisconsin residents to gain a greater understanding of our state’s budget—from experienced legislative stakeholders to members of the public who want to be more informed about how their tax dollars are being spent,” said CJ Szafir, president of IRG. “As the dashboard shows, Governor Evers’ spending priorities quickly spends down the surplus while simultaneously trying to enact over $1 billion in tax increases. As Wisconsin families and businesses strive to emerge from the pandemic, it is more critical now than ever that our leaders craft a responsible budget that funds the priorities Wisconsinites expect from their government, without hiking costs for our state’s taxpayers.”

IRG’s new budget simulator is powered by Balancing Act, a platform for easy-to-use online budget simulation that engages stakeholders to help leaders make tough choices. It uses all data from the nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau and Governor Evers’ proposed budget.

You can access the Budget Dashboard and experiment with IRG’s interactive simulation hereIt will be updated in the coming weeks to reflect the Joint Finance Committee’s budget.  

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The Institute for Reforming Government is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization formed in 2017, that seeks to simplify government at every level by offering policy solutions to thought leaders in American government.

Learn more about the Institute for Reforming Government here.