The City of San Luis Obispo is asking the community for input on the 2019-21 budget. Every two years, the city establishes a list of top priorities that will make San Luis Obispo a better place to live, work and play. The city council then takes that list and assigns the resources and budget needed to achieve those goals.

Community members can weigh in by completing a survey at slocity.org/opencityhall, or with a printed survey sent to utility customers in mid-November. So far, more than 500 people have completed the survey online. Printed surveys should be dropped off or mailed to City Hall at 990 Palm Street.

The public is also encouraged to attend a community forum on Wednesday, January 23 from 6 to 9 p.m. at the SLO Vet’s Hall, 801 Grand Avenue, where the public will have an opportunity to present ideas to council and discuss them with other members of the city.

City staff will compile community feedback for council to review in advance of its goal-setting workshop on February 4. During the workshop, council will officially set the goals for the next two years, and a budget will be adopted in June.

The 2017-19 city goals were identified as housing, multi-modal transportation, climate action, fiscal sustainability and responsibility and Downtown vitality.

This year, the City implemented the Fiscal Health Response Plan to address significant financial challenges. Continuing this progress toward long-term fiscal health, the 2019-21 Financial Plan will focus on maintaining existing infrastructure, core services and advancing the Fiscal Health Response Plan objectives such as employee concessions, new ways of doing business and new revenues and operating reductions.