Public budget design
Translate a capital or neighbourhood budget into plain-language choices, constraints and comparable options.
publishablePublic participation / budget clarity / delivery evidence
Make the decision visible.
We design civic processes where residents can see the money, the trade-offs, the response to their input and what happens after a project wins approval.
R12.4m
budget made legible
3,806
resident submissions
100%
responses traceable
Public notice / open
RefNeighbourhood proposalAllocation
A01Safe route to schoolR1.8m
A02Library study extensionR920k
A03Stormwater repairR2.4m
A04Market shade + powerR1.2m
Illustrative fictional programme. Hover rows to reveal the allocation field rather than hiding it behind a dashboard.
About / why Civic Ledger
Trust needs paperwork you can read.
Civic Ledger is a fictional service-design studio for municipalities, public agencies and neighbourhood funds. We work where participation, budget choices and delivery accountability meet.
Our job is not to manufacture consensus. It is to make constraints explicit, broaden participation, preserve dissent and leave a decision trail clear enough for someone outside the room to audit.
Offerings / public work
Four pieces of one civic record.
Participation systems
Design accessible meetings, paper and digital submissions, moderation rules and auditable response handling.
publishableDecision records
Publish what was proposed, what changed, what was rejected and the reason attached to each decision.
publishableDelivery tracking
Turn selected projects into public milestones, budget movements and issue logs that residents can actually follow.
publishableProcess / public cycle
Frame
Publish budget, non-negotiables and decision criteria before asking for ideas.
Reach
Open multiple channels and track who is missing, not only how many respond.
Deliberate
Group related proposals, expose trade-offs and document questions in public.
Decide
Score against published criteria and attach reasons to approvals and rejections.
Deliver
Track scope, spend, milestones and deviations until the project is complete.
Projects / decision records
Work measured after the workshop ends.
Each case below is fictional, but the structure reflects what a credible participation record should preserve.
Ward 6 street safety
R3.1m438 inputs22% construction completeParents prioritised crossings over decorative streetscape work; drainage repairs were bundled before new kerbs.
Central library study floor
R1.4m611 inputsdesign issuedTeenagers and evening students shifted the brief toward power, longer hours and acoustic separation.
Harbour market utilities
R2.0m287 inputsprocurementTrader interviews converted a generic canopy project into power, drainage, storage and fire-safety upgrades.
Proof / programme health
74%
participants received a direct response
31%
input came from offline channels
9 days
median response publication lag
0
unexplained scope changes in tracked projects
People / facilitation team
People who can hold a room and a spreadsheet.
Nolwazi Feni
Participation lead · facilitation, inclusion strategy
Peter Hall
Public finance designer · budgets, criteria, traceability
Rehana Davids
Service designer · forms, journeys, accessible publishing
Sibusiso Moya
Delivery analyst · milestones, issue logs, public reporting
Insights / public memos
Methods in plain language.
A consultation is not a referendum
How to invite input without falsely promising that preference alone determines a technical or budget decision.
Publish the rejected option
Why the reason attached to a rejected proposal can create more trust than a polished launch announcement.
Count missing voices
Participation totals are weak evidence unless you also inspect who had less opportunity to take part.
FAQ / governance questions
Before the first public notice.
Does public participation mean every suggestion is accepted?
No. It means criteria, constraints and responses are visible. A credible process can reject an idea, but it should explain why and show who made that decision.
How do you avoid the loudest voices dominating?
We combine meeting input with quieter channels, demographic monitoring, facilitated small groups and targeted outreach where participation gaps are visible.
Can this work without a custom software platform?
Yes. Many programmes should begin with good forms, spreadsheets, notice boards and publishing discipline before buying complex software.
Who owns the data?
The commissioning public body defines legal ownership and retention. Our default design minimises personal data while keeping decision evidence public where appropriate.
Contact / commission a process
Put the constraints on page one.
Send the decision you need to make, the budget or scope already fixed, who is affected and when the public record must be live.
brief@example.comFictional civic-design concept, not a real public body.