Portsmouth Listens to hold city budget study circles
Tuesday, 04 January 2011 16:27 | 
Written by Matt Kanner
Although it did not exactly get the city blessing it was hoping for, Portsmouth Listens will go forward with study circles on the city budget in coming months.
The citizen-led organization will recruit between 80 and 120 residents to take part in the study circles, assessing the city’s service needs and making recommendations to help the City Council craft a balanced operating budget.
“They’ll talk about and review city services and the budget as it now exists, and then they’ll be asked to address the same thing the departments are addressing right now, and that is how do we put together a flat budget,” said local attorney Jim Noucas, co-chair of Portsmouth Listens.
The group had requested that the city sponsor the study circles and provide staffing. That request was denied by the City Council, which did not want to show favoritism toward one organization. The city will, however, host a public workshop called Budget 101 to educate citizens about the budget process.
“That was one of the primary outcomes we were looking for in our proposal to the city,” Noucas said. “I think the most important thing is to educate and inform the public about the budget process.”
The Budget 101 presentation has not yet been scheduled, but Portsmouth Listens will likely begin holding study circles in March. Noucas said participants would be divided into groups of eight to 12 people, with a trained facilitator leading the discussions. Each group will meet for two hours per week for three to four weeks and then develop a final report with recommendations.
The discussions will not review individual line items on the budget, but will instead be “geared toward establishing priorities and values” and applying them to the overall budget process, Noucas said.
A training meeting for facilitators will take place on Saturday, Jan. 22. Those interested should contact Noucas at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Portsmouth Listens has previously used deliberative dialogue to help guide decisions regarding the city’s 10-year Master Plan, the future of Portsmouth Middle School, and several sustainability initiatives, among other things. The group is currently a finalist for an international democracy award from a private foundation in Germany.
Although the budget study circles did not receive a formal endorsement from the City Council, Noucas said he’s confident city leaders will listen to the group’s final recommendations and take them into consideration. He said councilors will be invited to participate in Portsmouth Listens budget workshops.
The group’s final report will be presented to the City Council and published in the Portsmouth Herald (Herald publisher John Tabor co-chairs Portsmouth Listens with Noucas). The results will also be available online at www.portsmouthlistens.org.
The citizen-led organization will recruit between 80 and 120 residents to take part in the study circles, assessing the city’s service needs and making recommendations to help the City Council craft a balanced operating budget.
“They’ll talk about and review city services and the budget as it now exists, and then they’ll be asked to address the same thing the departments are addressing right now, and that is how do we put together a flat budget,” said local attorney Jim Noucas, co-chair of Portsmouth Listens.
The group had requested that the city sponsor the study circles and provide staffing. That request was denied by the City Council, which did not want to show favoritism toward one organization. The city will, however, host a public workshop called Budget 101 to educate citizens about the budget process.
“That was one of the primary outcomes we were looking for in our proposal to the city,” Noucas said. “I think the most important thing is to educate and inform the public about the budget process.”
The Budget 101 presentation has not yet been scheduled, but Portsmouth Listens will likely begin holding study circles in March. Noucas said participants would be divided into groups of eight to 12 people, with a trained facilitator leading the discussions. Each group will meet for two hours per week for three to four weeks and then develop a final report with recommendations.
The discussions will not review individual line items on the budget, but will instead be “geared toward establishing priorities and values” and applying them to the overall budget process, Noucas said.
A training meeting for facilitators will take place on Saturday, Jan. 22. Those interested should contact Noucas at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Portsmouth Listens has previously used deliberative dialogue to help guide decisions regarding the city’s 10-year Master Plan, the future of Portsmouth Middle School, and several sustainability initiatives, among other things. The group is currently a finalist for an international democracy award from a private foundation in Germany.
Although the budget study circles did not receive a formal endorsement from the City Council, Noucas said he’s confident city leaders will listen to the group’s final recommendations and take them into consideration. He said councilors will be invited to participate in Portsmouth Listens budget workshops.
The group’s final report will be presented to the City Council and published in the Portsmouth Herald (Herald publisher John Tabor co-chairs Portsmouth Listens with Noucas). The results will also be available online at www.portsmouthlistens.org.
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