By Roshaunda Bradley
- One of the most consistent challenges in local government is explaining how budget decisions are made. Many residents experience the outcome as a single number (the millage rate), rather than a set of tradeoffs shaped by priorities, fixed costs, reserve requirements, and unexpected events. Developed by the Leon County Office of Management and Budget, “Let’s Balance!” is a hands-on budget simulation that compresses a ten-month budget cycle into a 45-minute facilitated experience.Like current conversations around property tax reform, the Great Recession was a defining moment that made it essential yet challenging to communicate the value of local government. Communities had to balance community needs while keeping financial burdens as low as possible. Leon County Administrator Vincent S. Long, in collaboration with the Leon County Office of Management and Budget, met that challenge head-on by developing the interactive “Let’s Balance!” game.
Created as part of Leon County’s Citizen Engagement Series, “Let’s Balance!” gives participants a practical view of the decisions our Board of County Commissioners confronts each year. Participants work in small groups using a structured set of cards that mirror real budget choices, including revenue options, expenditure adjustments, and the disciplined use of reserves. The simulation requires participants to maintain reserve policy requirements while still achieving a balanced budget, as this constraint is often invisible in public discussions and is essential to a community’s resilience and fiscal credibility.
“Let’s Balance!” is a nationally recognized engagement tool that puts people in the seat where local budget decisions are actually made. It reflects what local governments face every year: changing conditions, competing priorities, and the need to stay resilient even when disruptions like disasters or mandates hit. When residents experience those tough choices firsthand, it builds trust and strengthens the conversation around what it takes to deliver results for our community.
A core feature is the introduction of periodic Challenge Cards that simulate real-world disruptions such as disasters or unfunded mandates. These are not theoretical. They reflect the reality that budget development happens under changing conditions, shifting community needs, and external pressures. The objective is not to teach a “right answer,” but to create a constructive environment where participants work through the same tensions local leaders navigate every day: service expectations, affordability, equity, and long-term sustainability.
The approach has strengthened transparency and civic learning in a way that is approachable and engaging without minimizing the seriousness of fiscal stewardship. “Let’s Balance!” has also received national recognition, including selection as a National Association of Counties (NACo) “100 Brilliant Ideas at Work” innovation, and it has been featured as a model for civic education and engagement.
Just as important, the model is designed to be adaptable. Leon County makes the game materials available for download, including a customizable version that allows other jurisdictions to align the experience with their service areas, policy constraints, branding, and locally relevant “challenge” scenarios. We have also seen the model replicated and incorporated into the curricula of local and state governments, Florida TaxWatch, Youth Leadership Tallahassee, Leadership Tallahassee, and others, reinforcing that simulation-based engagement can translate across audiences and help build shared understanding.
For peers considering a similar tool, our strongest lesson learned is that the value comes from pairing accurate budget mechanics with skilled facilitation and a purposeful debrief. When participants leave with a clearer understanding of tradeoffs, local government is better positioned to have constructive conversations about priorities, not just numbers.
“Let’s Balance!” overview and “Download Game Materials” link:
Https://cms.leoncountyfl.gov/Government/Departments/Management-and-Budget/Lets-Balance
Direct ZIP download (game files):
Https://cms.leoncountyfl.gov/Portals/0/DeptFiles/OMB/LetsBalance/LetsBalance.zip
Game Information page (roles, sequence, and linked templates/rules):
Game Rules (PDF):
https://cms.leoncountyfl.gov/Portals/0/DeptFiles/OMB/LetsBalance/4-1.%20Game%20Rules.pdf
