Kansas City, Missouri, uses online transparency tools to educate the public about the city’s financial information and to get them involved in spending decisions. Using resident engagement initiatives, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) links budget data, performance data, and storytelling to explain what’s behind these numbers.

To tell the city’s story, OMB had a lot of dots to connect. Phase one of this journey started with long-term trend analysis of the city’s annual financial report and an internal departmental strategic planning process focusing on structural change management. But these processes weren’t connected; separate pieces from different departments and divisions were combined into the citywide business plan to “connect the dots.” The city went from having parallel but distinct processes to interlocking all these components into one cohesive, streamlined plan.

• Publication date: August 2021
• Author: Debbie Chiu