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<p style="font-weight:bold; display: inline; line-height:150%; font-size: 115%;">P.O. BOX 6015 COLUMBIA, MO 65205</p></div>
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<p style="font-size: 150%; font-weight: bold;">FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE</p>
<p style="font-size: 120%; margin-top: -5px; font-weight:bold;">December 30, 2024</p>
<p style="float:right; font-weight:bold; margin-bottom: 25px; font-size: 100%; text-align:right;">CONTACT: Sydney Olsen
<br />Engagement and Public Communications Manager
<br />City of Columbia
<br />City Manager's Office
<br />573.874.7438
<br />Sydney.Olsen@CoMo.gov</p>
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<div style="font-size: 110%; line-height:150%;"><h1 style="clear:both; margin-top: 75px; margin-bottom: 10px; font-weight: bold; font-size: 130%;">Community members invited to attend series of townhalls on City's budget</h1>
<div class="content"><span style="padding-left: 50px;">(COLUMBIA, MO)</span> - <p style="display:inline;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The City of Columbia will host a series of townhall meetings designed to engage residents in the City’s budget process. These interactive events will provide an opportunity for community members to learn about how the City develops its budget, ask questions and participate in activities that foster understanding and involvement. Each townhall will focus on a different budget-related topic and will be held both during the day and in the evening to encourage greater public participation.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The meetings will include informative presentations from City staff on the overall budget process, including how decisions are made, key funding priorities and the long-term financial planning for the City. Participants will have the chance to engage with City leaders during Q&A sessions, where they can share ideas and get clarification on how the City allocates resources.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In addition to the presentations, the townhalls will feature interactive educational games designed to make the budget process more accessible and engaging. These activities will allow attendees to better understand the complexities of local government budgeting while providing an enjoyable and informative experience.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"We believe it’s essential to involve our residents in the budgeting process and help them better understand how we plan and allocate our resources," said Finance Director Matthew Lue. "These townhalls are a great opportunity for Columbia residents to gain insight into how the budget process works in a fun way, which we hope will empower them to participate more actively in shaping the City’s financial decisions and priorities."</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The townhalls are open to all Columbia residents. Participants are asked to register at the following link: https://forms.gle/1hzYcJKkFjSLLpZh8. Light refreshments will be provided.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Each townhall will be held in Conference Rooms 1A/1B of City Hall, 701 E. Broadway. The schedule for the upcoming townhalls is as follows:</span></p>
<p><strong>Townhall 1: Budget overview</strong></p>
<p><strong>Jan. 9</strong><span style="font-weight: 400;">: 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.</span></p>
<p><strong>Jan. 16: </strong><span style="font-weight: 400;">6-8 p.m.</span></p>
<p><strong>Townhall 2: Budget priorities</strong></p>
<p><strong>Feb. 25</strong><span style="font-weight: 400;">: 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.</span></p>
<p><strong>Feb. 26: </strong><span style="font-weight: 400;">6-8 p.m.</span></p>
<p><strong>Townhall 3: Capital improvement projects</strong></p>
<p><strong>April 14:</strong><span style="font-weight: 400;"> 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., 6-8 p.m.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">For more information on the townhalls and the City’s budget process, please visit </span><a style="white-space:nowrap" href="http://como.gov/finance/accounting/financial-reports/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">CoMo.gov/finance/accounting/financial-reports/</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. </span></p></div>
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<div style="margin-top: 15px; margin-bottom: 20px; text-align:center;"><p>City of Columbia Vision<br>
<em>Columbia is the best place for everyone to live, work, learn and play.</em></p>
<p>City of Columbia Mission<br>
<em>To serve the public equitably through democratic, transparent and efficient government.</em></p>
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<p style="text-align:center;">-30-</p>
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