South Gippsland Shire Council 2015/2016 Budgeting: Digital Engagement Driving Satisfaction
A Case Study for the LGPro Web Network Special Interest Group
Wonder what goes on in there....?
Wonder what goes on out
there....?
Purpose: Increase council and community understanding of the budget issues and challenges
X
XGood Engagement
Good Policy
Outcomes: Marginal increase in participation
2014
2015
0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800
Ratepayers Involved in Budgeting
Year
Outcomes: Critics became champions
I came along very negative, but I’ve learned more about issues I was not aware of. Here I was trapped in a room and I’ve come back better educated than I otherwise would have appreciated.
– Dr. Neil Shaw
Outcomes: Shareable video resulting in faster and deeper buy-in to the process
Learnings for Council
• Budget: it draws people in• Leverage OurSay to turn internal and
external cynics into engagement champions
• We needed to shift as we go to appease certain leaders (trial and error)
• Great opportunity to get the local media on-side
Learnings for OurSay
• Better analytics about where people are from (are they rate-payers?)
• Winning vs. supported ideas• To survey or not to survey? • Each council is different