Sarasota County is pursuing a creative idea to involve local citizens in upcoming budget discussions. At sites throughout Sarasota County on May 22, 30 and 31, the county is hosting a series of interactive workshops aimed at shaping public policy. Teams of players will participate in scenarios built around board settings that portray a fictional community. They will face real-world events that require them to make decisions based on spending and priority. Choices will be designed to foster collaboration and force debate and consensus.

We want you to understand the county’s financial responsibilities and limitations, and how we develop spending priorities for programs and services. If you can think outside the box and want to see things the way local officials see them in order to govern, we want to hear from you.

Click "Start" and the Sarasota County logos...
to see some of the priorities we'd like you to weigh in on during each session.
 

 • May 22, 6-9 p.m., Municipal Auditorium, 801 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota
 • May 30, 205 p.m., Venice Community Center, 326 Nokomis Ave., Venice
 • May 31, 9 a.m.-noon, Gulf Coast Event & Conference Center at Girl Scout Headquarters, 4780 Cattlemen Road, Sarasota

Seating is limited to 300 participants per session. Light refreshments will be served.

To register for these call 861-5000.