Prioritize Tool

Bring input you can defend

Ranked priorities weighted to your community and filterable by verified residents and registered voters. Real numbers for the decision, not a wish list.

See the tough calls before you commit

People rank options against a live limit like budget, space, or units, so you learn what they would actually keep and cut before you decide.

Ready now, inside Polco

Native in Polco Admin and part of the Engage module, in 31 languages. No separate tool and no new login, so you can launch this cycle.

Set it up

Start from blank or copy an existing piece. Add your options, images, and the impacts residents balance against.

Residents select and rank

They choose what matters, then rank it in order, within the limits you set.

You get decision-ready results

Ranked and weighted, segmented by audience, with Instant Run-Off to surface the most-supported set that still fits.

New facility programming

Decide what goes into a new library, rec center, or fire station within square footage or dollars.

Road and infrastructure sequencing

Rank paving, sidewalk, or utility projects against the annual construction budget.

Public safety investments

Weigh equipment, staffing, and program options within a set budget.

Comprehensive or strategic plan goals

Have the community rank long-range priorities when not everything can lead at once.

Bond or capital referendum

Rank facility projects like HVAC, roofs, and additions to fit the bond amount.

Program and course offerings

Decide which new programs, electives, or AP courses to add within staffing or budget limits.

Technology investments

Weigh devices, software, and infrastructure within the tech budget.

Budget shortfall scenarios

When cuts are unavoidable, have staff and families rank what to protect first, which turns a painful process into defensible input.

Ranked and total views

See how many residents chose each option and how highly they ranked it, side by side.

Instant Run-Off

They choose what matters, then rank it in order, within the limits you set.

Verified residents and demographics

Filter results by verified residents, registered voters, and demographic cuts.

Automatic weighting

On by default, so results reflect your community, not just who responded.

Prioritize

The Ultimate Budget Stack: Let Your Entire Community Help Write the Budget

May 18, 2026 9 min read

Prioritize

5 Lessons Cities Learned From Opening Their Budget Process to the Public

April 10, 2026 3 min read

Resident Engagement

Why Budget Transparency Is the Key to Public Trust

April 1, 2026 2 min read

FAQs

A poll or survey captures preference. Prioritize captures preference under tradeoffs. Residents select what they care about, then rank it against a real limit like a fixed budget. You get ranked priorities that already account for what cannot be funded.

Impacts like budget, space, or units. You assign a value to each option, and residents watch a running total update in real time, with a primary bar plus secondary gauges. When a choice pushes past the limit, they see it right away.

Automatic weighting is on by default and aligns results with your community's demographics. Opt-in residency verification adds a separate, more reliable result set, and you can filter by registered voters and demographic cuts.

Instant Run-Off applies an instant-runoff method to the ranked data and flags the most-supported set of options that still fits every limit you set, whether that is a budget, a space cap, or a fixed number of units. You get the most-liked plan that actually fits, not just the raw winner.

Prioritize is built and managed right in Polco Admin. Start from a blank piece or copy an existing one, add your options and impacts, and publish with a direct link, access controls, or a sign-in-free email to your lists. It is available in 31 languages.

Polco's Prioritize tool

Let Residents Rank What Matters Most

Real choices. Real tradeoffs. Ranked priorities you can act on.