CENTENNIAL - When Chris Adams started to push the idea, all he wanted was to show people how the state budget works - hence, the creation of the Backseat Budgeter.
"As a way to educate voters and residents about our state budget, both the revenues and expenditures, but also some of the provisions in the constitution that make it a little bit tricky," Adams, president of Engaged Public, said.
The Backseat Budgeter is an online tool giving users the power to design their own state budget. What cuts would you make? How would allocating money to one place impact another? If Proposition 103 passes, how would you use the extra tax money?
You can try it yourself right here: http://www.backseatbudgeter.com/budgets/Colorado2011/default.aspx.
9NEWS has partnered with Engaged Public to share this tool with the community.
Tuesday morning, a group of leaders joined Adams to discuss some of the budgeting issues in person especially on the impacts on education. The list included: Colorado State University President Tony Frank, Douglas County Commissioner Jill Repella, South Metro Chamber of Commerce President John Brackney, Douglas County Schools Chief Financial Officer Bonnie Betz, and Colorado Health Foundation Vice President Shepard Nevel.
"Our elected officials don't have any easy choices and that's in-part of what the Backseat Budgeter is designed to show that there aren't simple solutions out there," Frank said.
Nevel says tools like the Backseat Budgeter can generate fresh looks at the ongoing issue of diminishing budgets in a struggling economy.
"If you think about Backseat Budgeter as a means to an end, it's to tap the collective wisdom of as many people as possible," Nevel said.
As a representative of business leaders, Brackney says it's not always easy to turn to tax increases, such as what is being proposed in Proposition 103, especially when times are tough. But he says the small business owner also understands the need for a good education system.
"It's not a total black or white issue anymore. I think people understand that things cost money," Brackney said.
Betz works directly with all those things that cost money. She says that school districts like Douglas County need to prioritize its needs.
"We've established our plan and priorities for the next three years through our strategic plan," Betz said. "One of the components of that is to really infuse dollars into our teacher salaries so what we can attract and retain the best quality teacher."
Repella cautions the crowd, however, that when you talk about tough economic times and government, people usually the focus to be on items such as public safety and roads.
"When you zero in and give greater focus on where government is expected to give a community, to provide services, you have an opportunity to really then bring down the expenses and focus it on there," Repella said.
(KUSA-TV © 2011 Multimedia Holdings Corporation)