Read your city's budget like you own the place

Hey — I'm really glad you're here, and I want to be straight with you about something.

Most people your age have never been shown how local government actually works. Not because they're not smart enough, not because they don't care — but because nobody sat down and explained it in plain language. The city budget is a public document. It's literally yours. But it reads like it was written to keep you out. Dense jargon, weird fund names, summary pages that summarize almost nothing — it's a lot. I get why most people give up before page three.

That's the gap I built this course to close. I wanted to create the resource I wish I'd had: something that takes a real budget document seriously and treats you seriously at the same time. No dumbing things down, no skipping the hard parts, but also no unnecessary complexity for its own sake. We're going to look at how revenue actually works — property taxes, sales taxes, fees, grants, state and federal dollars — and trace it through the fund system until you can calculate the true cost of a city program, not just the headline number. We're going to look at what budget summaries don't tell you, and I'm going to show you how to ask for more.

And then — this is the part I'm most excited about — we're going to get you ready to actually do something with it. Writing public comment that's specific and grounded. Showing up to a city council meeting and knowing exactly how it works before you walk in. Making a capstone action plan that's about your city, your neighborhood, the decisions that are happening right now whether you're paying attention or not.

Here's what I know: the students who understand local government are the ones who can actually change things at the local level. Federal politics can feel impossible to influence. Your city? Your city is close. The people making these decisions go to the grocery store near you. The budget hearing is a twenty-minute drive away. This is where civic engagement is most real, most accessible, and most needed — and you're about to learn how to do it.

You don't need a finance background. You don't need to have followed local news your whole life. You just need to show up to this course the same way I want you to show up to your city: curious, ready to learn, and confident that you belong in the room. Let's get into it.