Big day in budget world | Philly

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Thursday, November 6, 2008

Big day in budget world

Mayor Michael Nutter has released his plan to deal with the $1 billion budget shortfall facing the city over five years. We'll obviously have a lot more in the coming days, but for now take a look at his full proposal by clicking here.

It's not exactly light reading, but should be mandatory reading for anyone who wants to understand city government. Please use this post to comment on Nutter's plan and offer your own suggestions for cost savings.

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About It's Our Money

Every year, city government spends slightly more than $4 billion. Where does all that money come from? More importantly, where does it go? Are we getting the most bang for our tax buck? “It's Our Money” is a jointproject between Philadelphia Daily News and WHYY, funded by the William Penn Foundation, designed to answer these questions.

DOES THE CITY EVEN WANT YOUR MONEY?

"It's Our Money" called a cross-section of city departments to find out what forms of payment they accept for crucial services, from paying taxes and your gas bill to posting bail. Click here to read the article and enter the labyrinth.

HOWLING AT THE WATER DEPARTMENT

Last year, Andrew Nelson bought a house in South Philly. He contacted the Water Department to put the service bill in his name. But he was unable to reach anyone. Nelson was eventually able to reach someone after more than six months. But it wasn't an isolated problem. Read the whole story here. Review the Water Department and other city services on our sister site, City Howl.

Ben Waxman reports and blogs for “It's Our Money.” Before joining “It's Our Money,” he was a regular contributor to the Philadelphia Daily News op-ed page and former contributor to the blog Young Philly Politics. He studied political science at Juniata College in Huntingdon, PA.

Doron Taussig is the Project Manager for “It's Our Money.” He is also a graduate student in communications at Temple University. Previously he worked as a Staff Writer and News Editor for the Philadelphia City Paper.

Dave Merrell is the Web Editor for "It's Our Money." He comes to the project from Philly.com, where he is a web producer. Originally from upstate New York, he moved to Philadelphia after graduating from Haverford College with a degree in math and economics.

Anthony Campisi reports and blogs for "It's Our Money." Originally hailing from Central Jersey, he came to Philadelphia while a student at the University of Pennsylvania, where he studied intellectual history. He also writes about transportation for PlanPhilly, an innovative urban planning website started by PennPraxis, the consulting arm of the Penn School of Design.