For the second year, Phoenix is holding virtual hearings to gather input on the city’s budget. 

Phoenix has scheduled 14 public hearings online. People can register on the city’s website to speak during the hearings. They will air on PHXTV, the city’s cable channel, and YouTube.com/CityofPhoenixAZ.  

The city expects to start the fiscal year July 1 with a surplus of more than $150 million.

The city manager’s trial budget calls for most of the surplus going to employee compensation. 

Here’s a breakdown of suggested surplus spending:

• Employee Compensation Increases (Ongoing and One-time) — $118 million 
• Public Safety Reform & Responsiveness — $21.0 million
• COVID Relief & Resiliency — $2.6 million 
• Climate Change & Heat Readiness — $2.8 million  
• Affordable Housing & Homelessness — $2.7 million 
• Building Community & Responding to Growth — $2.9 million 
• Administrative Accountability — $3.0 million 

After public input is gathered, the City Council will vote on the proposed budget on May 4.

In 2020, Phoenix created an online tool that lets people create their own city budgets using general fund dollars. You can move money around, add and subtract to different departments and adjust sales and property taxes.