Balancing Act

Balancing Act by Polco is an interactive budget simulation and civic-engagement platform designed to help local governments involve residents in budget decisions and public-prioritization exercises. Its primary purpose is to present municipal budgets and policy trade-offs in an accessible, gamified format so residents can experiment with spending choices, understand fiscal constraints, and provide informed feedback. Key features include customizable budget simulators, scenario-building tools, multilingual public surveys, and embedded reporting dashboards for staff analysis. The user interface is clear and citizen-facing, prioritizing simplicity and guided interaction. Public users encounter an uncluttered web experience with slider controls, descriptive tooltips, and immediate visual feedback on how choices affect budget totals and service levels. Administrative users access a separate back end where staff can configure categories, set constraints, import financial data, and publish scenarios. Navigation is straightforward, with stepwise flows that reduce confusion for non-technical participants while still exposing enough detail for engaged residents. Functionality covers scenario creation, localized outreach, layered demographic targeting, and integration of survey results into staff dashboards.