Welcome, Settle In. Let’s Go Over How to Find and Open Your City’s Budget

This post is part of a Civic Parent’s series, Take Your Seat at the Table: A Taxpayer’s Guide to Decoding Your City Budget. This series is a plain-language walk through New Jersey’s Municipal User Friendly Budget (UFB).

I started sketching this series in late August, somewhere between the Route 440 Staples and the Dollar Store on Bergen Avenue, helping my kids gather their school supplies. And it struck me: adults need a civic back-to-school list, too. But I don’t want to frame this series as a “class” per se; it’s more akin to a conversation, and community is best imagined around a table.

So I want you to imagine: you are sitting down at a big table, about to break bread with other people in community, including neighbors and friends who want to learn, and also elected and staffers who work in local government. And when you sit down at a table, you deserve what everyone else has: utensils, napkins, a plate and glass, and so on. It’s just the basic starting kit to feel included. That’s the spirit I’m aiming for here.

Why You’re Here

Most people don’t read local budgets for fun. If you’ve landed here, you may be wrestling with rising property taxes, wondering where your money goes, or wishing City Hall were more transparent. As the writer of this blog I want you to know: you’re not alone. Many are seeking answers, not just you. So…welcome.

Let’s go over some basic pointers.

Step 1. Visit Your Municipality’s Website

Every New Jersey municipality is required to publish its User Friendly Budget (UFB) each year under N.J. Rev. Stat. § 40A:5-48 (2024). You’ll find it either on your town’s website or through the state Department of Community Affairs.  If you can’t locate it, call your clerk’s office — they’re usually happy to help.  Here’s a statewide map of municipal websites I use in my own research

nce you find your city’s UFB, download it — PDF or Excel are both fine. Print it if you can. 

 Example: Jersey City posts its UFBs on a page called Municipal Fiscal Reports. The format is clear and consistent across mayoral administrations — I’ve been downloading them since the late 2000s.

Step 2. Lay Out the Math at Home

Budgets start to click when you make the numbers your own. Don’t just read; engage with the data using back-of-the-envelope techniques. Write figures down, or open a spreadsheet, and do some quick math and remember:

• Don’t let perfection be the enemy of the good.
• You don’t need to know everything. No one does.
• Learn by trying, and ask questions out loud.

I’ve been looking at the UFB for years and I still discover new insights each time. You will too.

Step 3. Get Your Free Spreadsheet Tool

Much of local public government data comes as PDFs or Excel files. Excel requires a paid license, but Google Sheets is free and works great for civic analysis. Access Google Sheets here. What makes Google fun in a community space is that you can collaborate in real time — which is helpful if you’re working with neighbors or advocacy groups. It also works great if you’re on your own.

Step 4. Some helpful references to bookmark

I laid out the table of contents in a previous series post if you’d like that as a reference point. A state budget manual available online is also a handy reference, as is an instruction guide for UFB preparers.

Step 5. Have Fun (Yes, Really)

If you’re reading this, you already have some civic curiosity. This work can be genuinely fun once you realize how much insight hides inside those budget tables. It can also be empowering as you get involved in your local community’s fiscal landscape.

Have fun — and help someone else learn along the way.

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The writing on Civic Parent is for general civic learning and public knowledge. It’s not intended as tax, accounting, or legal advice, and it shouldn’t be relied on for those purposes. If you’re looking for individualized guidance or deeper support, please visit my Need More? page to learn how to connect for tailored services or consulting.