The City of Redmond is currently working to collect data from the community to learn where people’s priorities are when it comes to the city’s budget.

Every two years, the city conducts a community-based effort to review its financial picture and the resources needed to fund key city services through its Budgeting by Priorities (BP) process.

The city’s six priorities are: safety, clean and green, business community, community building, infrastructure and growth and responsible government.

The data the city is collecting is through Your City, Your Choice — an online campaign that was launched on Dec. 4. Community members are invited to evaluate the kinds of programs citizens value most by choosing their top three programs under each of the six city priorities.

“We’re inviting citizens to share with us what their most important priorities are for the city,” said Mayor John Marchione. “Citizen feedback helps ensure that the city is focusing resources on our residents’ highest priorities.”

To participate in the survey, visit www.redmond.gov/YourCityYourChoice.

“Last year we had over 1,400 participants in the first version of Your City, Your Choice,” said Mike Bailey, finance director for the city. “This year we have reworked the exercise to gather more granular data on the programs community members’ value in each of our city priorities.

What is great is that our residents and businesses can engage with us via the web, tablet and phone or in person.”

Malisa Files, deputy finance director for the city, said they worked with DigiPen Institute of Technology and this year’s campaign is new and improved.

She said in the survey, after participants are asked whether they live and or work in Redmond, they are then presented with five different paths of programming within each of the six priorities. From those five choices, participants are asked to select their top three choices. Files said the three choices all hold equal value — there is no ranking system.

“That’s pretty much it,” Files said about the survey, adding that it takes less than five minutes to take the survey. In addition, at the end, the site provides contact information if people would like to ask questions or add comments. Participants also have the opportunity to view survey results up to that point to see how others are responding.

“This survey is a quick and easy way for residents to give us feedback on the things that matter most to them,” said Redmond City Council president Hank Margeson.

As of Tuesday afternoon, 175 people have participated in the survey since it opened last Friday.

Files said on the first day, they had only nine participants, but the city had some volunteers walking around Redmond Lights on Saturday with iPads, encouraging attendees to participate on the spot. So, many of the survey-takers are most likely from the festival, she said, adding that the survey will remain open through the end of February or beginning of March.

Files said they hope to have at least 1,400 survey participants like last time — if not more.

“Last year, (Your City, Your Choice) was really successful,” she said.

Files said the results will be used in a couple places.

First, Redmond City Council has a retreat at the end of January 2016 and they will be receiving the survey results up to that point. In addition, the mayor and city staff will receive the results when they begin working on the city’s biennial budget in 2016. Files said the budget will be for 2017-18, but the work will be done in the next year. The information from the survey will help inform staff’s decisions and choices in figuring out what city programs and services to fund.

Your City, Your Choice is just one piece of community engagement revolving around the city’s budgeting process.

In addition, Files said there is an annual survey conducted by EMC Research in Seattle that asks people questions to see whether they feel Redmond is on the right track when it comes to spending taxpayers’ money. During the city’s BP process, there will be a citizen’s results committee, who will work with city staff as they create the upcoming budget.

“They actually look over all of the priorities,” Files said about the citizens’ group.

Files said they will begin writing the budget around March.

For questions and more information, contact Files at mfiles@redmond.gov or (425)556-2166.