Abstract
There has been a proliferation of public budgeting processes and tools to promote community engagement. Participatory budgeting (PB) is the most prominent budgeting innovation and has diffused globally after being introduced in Brazil in 1989. However, traditional public hearings, citizen commissions, and town halls continue to be valuable ways to facilitate collaboration between elected officials, administrators, and the public. Technological tools like online discussion boards, electronic surveys, budget dashboards, and budget simulations also offer opportunities for engagement. There is great potential to increase public involvement in public budgeting development and monitoring, but there are also challenges involved in creating meaningful opportunities for collaboration. Collaboration efforts must be matched with constituent priorities and long-term planning in order to achieve fiscal sustainability. The 2020 COVID-19 pandemic and widespread, global protests following the death of George Floyd further highlight the challenges and prospects for public engagement in setting budget priorities.