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Now Fully Integrated into Polco Admin

Polco’s Budget Simulation

Let Residents Balance the Budget

Real revenue. Real tradeoffs. Real input you can act on.

Polco's Budget Simulation lets residents work through your real budget, real categories, real constraints, and gives you back weighted, analyzable data instead of a comment thread.

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Launch fast

Start from a city/county or school district template, or duplicate last year's simulation. Most teams launch in days.

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Built-in, not bolted-on

Lives natively in Polco, connected to your existing resident data, benchmark surveys, and demographics.

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AI-assisted setup

Get help structuring categories and writing plain-language descriptions residents actually read.

How It Works

1

Load your data

Template, copy existing, or blank canvas
Load your data
2

Residents build the budget

Updated, easy-to-use interface
Residents build the budget
3

You get decision-ready results

 Weighted, segmented, exportable 
You get decision-ready results
Polco Blog - Your Public Comment Period Isn't Working

Starting at

$5,000/yr

  • ✓ Pricing based on community size.
  • ✓ Annual subscription discounts available
  • ✓ Bulk discounts available

Results and Insights

Demographic weighting

On by default, so results reflect your community, not just respondents
Demographic weighting

Divisiveness analysis

See which categories have consensus and which don't
Divisiveness analysis

Crosstabs and exportable charts

Ready for council packets, no extra formatting
Crosstabs and exportable charts

AI, built in

Ask questions about your results in plain language
AI, built in
Polco Budget Simulation Results Screenshot

Take control of your budgeting process

Simplify complex decisions and empower your community with Polco’s Budget Simulation tool. Start creating smarter budgets today!

Maximizing impact with Polco's Simulation Tools

Discover how Polco has helped other communities achieve their goals and see what’s possible for yours.

What Actually Changed When Budget Simulation Moved Into Polco
Polco Budget Simulation - screenshot in monitor
Resident Engagement

What Actually Changed When Budget Simulation Moved Into Polco

July 9, 2026 4 min read
Residents Don't Want to Be Asked. They Want to Be Trusted With the Math.
Polco Blog - Residents Don't Want to Be Asked. They Want to Be Trusted With the Math.
Resident Engagement

Residents Don't Want to Be Asked. They Want to Be Trusted With the Math.

July 8, 2026 4 min read
Your Public Comment Period Isn't Working. Here's the Data.
Polco Blog - Your Public Comment Period Isn't Working
Budget & Financing

Your Public Comment Period Isn't Working. Here's the Data.

July 7, 2026 4 min read

FAQs

Is this hard to set up if we've never done budget engagement before?

 No. Most governments start from a pre-built template with realistic categories already in place. AI setup assistance helps configure your data and draft resident-facing descriptions, so most teams go from first login to a launched simulation in a matter of days. 

Will this just generate unrealistic demands from residents?

 The opposite tends to happen. Because residents work within real constraints, minimums, maximums, and a live balance requirement, their input reflects genuine tradeoffs rather than a wish list. Governments consistently report that feedback becomes more specific and more usable, not less realistic. 

How do we know the results reflect our whole community, not just the loudest voices?

 Automatic demographic weighting adjusts results so they reflect your community's actual makeup, not just whoever happened to respond. Participation analytics show you exactly who responded so you can identify and address any gaps. 

Can this work for a school district, transit agency, or other special-purpose government, not just a city?

 Yes. Templates exist for general city and county budgets as well as school districts, and the underlying simulation engine can be adapted to transit budgets, capital improvement plans, and other constrained-resource decisions. 

What if we want to see it in action before committing to anything?

 Try the live demo simulation to explore the resident experience firsthand, no setup required. When you're ready to see it built around your own data, request a demo with our team. 

See what your residents could tell you.