In addition to the obvious health consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, municipal budgets have also been negatively impacted. In this webinar we will discuss the need to engage the community in the budgeting process to ensure that any necessary cuts are both equitable and in-line with resident priorities.

Attendees will hear from the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) about the state of municipal budgets and the challenges cities are facing. Balancing Act will join us to speak about ways to bring people and government together for informed conversations about budget priorities and the City of Charlotte, NC will share how it has engaged the public in identifying budget priorities.

Meet Our Speakers

Shayne Kavanagh, Senior Manager of Research , GFOA

Shayne is the Senior Manager of Research for GFOA and has been a leader in developing the practice and technique of long-term financial planning and policies for local government. He started GFOA's long-term financial planning and policy consulting offering in 2002 and has been working with governments on financial planning and policies ever since. Shayne has worked with many governments of different sizes and types on financial planning and policies across the United States and Canada.

Chris Adams, President, Balancing Act

Chris has worked in public policy and facilitation for over 25 years. He is the president of Balancing Act and a Senior Fellow at the University of Colorado School of Public Affairs. He has published more than 40 essays in publications including The Los Angeles Times, New York Newsday, Government Finance Review, American City and County, GOVERNING, The Christian Science Monitor, The San Francisco Chronicle and many others. He is a past speaker at the distinguished Conference on World Affairs at the University of Colorado, delivering five presentations on the theme “Values and Ethics in a Fragile World.” He is a graduate of Yale University and the University of Colorado.

Tiffany Waddell Blackwell, Senior Strategy & Budget Analyst, City of Charlotte, NC

Tiffany joined the City of Charlotte in August 2014 as a Financial and Budget Manager in the Management and Financial Services Department. In her time within the City of Charlotte, she has been promoted to Business Manager, Division Manager, and currently Senior Strategy and Budget Analyst in the Office of Strategy and Budget. Tiffany leads the city’s community engagement efforts for the annual budget process. In addition, she oversees the city’s Legacy Commission which engages in a comprehensive study of street names and monuments in the City of Charlotte that honor a legacy of Confederate soldiers, slave owners and segregationists.