2016/06/27 - Walter's Blog: O'Fallon 101 Videos
June 27, 2016
You can never underestimate the value of communication. Each year, the City of O’Fallon approves an annual budget authorizing the expenditure of millions of dollars. Yet few people ever read the budget to know what is in it or to understand what services the City is providing.
We have looked for ways to make the budget more accessible. It is the blueprint for the City’s activities and directs our efforts from public safety to parks to economic development. A few years ago, we began publishing “budget dashboards” to provide insight into the primary features of the budget, including General Funds expenses, tax revenue, and long-term trends.
This year, we are introducing “O’Fallon 101” short videos that address the budget and City services in small, digestible chunks. With our summer camps in full swing, our first video describes how the Parks & Recreation Department impacts our community. Did you know that O’Fallon Parks have more than 1,000,000 uses by residents and visitors each year? And did you know that the Parks & Recreation Department spends around $500,000 each year for summer youth employment for our various camps, programs, and sports?
We also prepared a video that compiles all of the awards O’Fallon has received recently. We were recently ranked as the 3rd best city in Illinois for raising a family and 5th happiest city in Illinois. Outside observers recognize that O’Fallon is a premier community – sometimes, we are too busy with our lives to notice it ourselves.
Look for future videos on the budget, taxes, public safety, and other aspects of your city government. And please let us know what you think. The purpose of the videos is to tell meaningful stories about the services our employees provide to you, and we are interested in your feedback. Thanks for reading and watching!