Folsom, CA Beyond Measure G: Strengthening Public Participation in Budget Decisions

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This report was prepared by Justin Hurst on behalf of the Citizen Advocates Network, with input from community partners. Justin is a born-and-raised resident of Folsom and has lived and worked in the greater Sacramento area for almost 30 years. In addition to serving a role on a Folsom city commission, he also has been locally active for the past couple of years. Through this work, he became familiar with the Measure G campaigns (both the "Yes" and "No") during the 2024 elections, and the subsequent discourse as hosted on the Citizen Advocates Network podcast (CANcast) prompted the creation of this document. Justin has expertise in public budgeting and a deep interest in public engagement processes, as reflected in this work.

The Measure G campaign in the 2024 election included a proposed Citizens Oversight Committee in the structure for the implementation of a raised city sale's tax. With its defeat at the ballot box, this body similarly did not become reality for the City of Folsom. However, this proposal may serve as a spiritual successor for that specific idea. This proposal explores 4 contemporary examples of public engagement bodies pertaining to city budgets. It then offers 4 potential models that are tailored to the context of Folsom. This proposal additionally delves further into the context surrounding the city's current budget and engagement situation, while providing commentary further explaining the rationale for the development of these models.

​This document is created to help inform and guide community discourse in the evolution of the local budgeting process. With a deepening public interest in participation in city budgetary decisions, this document is meant to provide useful context with comparative analysis of other cities in California as well as provide a perspective on tradeoffs. This document does not take a stance on which alternative is most desirable for the City of Folsom however - rather, it is meant to provide perspective for city leaders to consider in their conversations. It is our hope that this analysis is not beneficial to just Folsom however, as we believe that other cities can use this as a guide for their own consideration for improving upon city budget public engagement.