Open Government Budget Data in Equity Analysis

This presentation was given at the Community Indicators Consortium's Community Impact Summit 2017.

Questions of increasing concern in an era of shrinking budgets and fiscal responsibility are whether tax dollars are being spent effectively, efficiently, and equitably? WIth new wealth of information to shed light on cities' development priorities, the data can further be analyzed within the context of equity and inclusion to see if low-income high-need neighborhood are receiving their fair share of city resources. The project described in this presentation uses publicly available capital improvement budget information from the City of St. Paul to assess the equitable distribution of neighborhood spending and to examine the process by which projects are approved.