Photo by lovedc.

Come April 1, the District will start discussing what’s sure to be a controversial topic — the 2012 budget. Despite optimistic forecasts that reduced the budget deficit to $322 million, down from close to $600 million, there’s little doubt that Mayor Vince Gray, the D.C. Council, interest and advocacy groups, and residents will fight over what gets cut and what gets spared during the two months of deliberations leading up to the budget’s final approval. The fights will likely be even testier than usual, seeing as various social service advocacy groups are pushing for tax hikes as an alternative to more painful cuts that were undertaken in recent years.

Never one to shy away from process and deliberation, Gray rolled out a brief online survey over the weekend aimed at gathering public input on the 2012 budget. While the idea may be laudable, the execution sure isn’t — the survey is limited to five questions, only three of which are actually of substance. Respondents are asked to rank six government areas in terms of priority, decide how strongly they agree or disagree with “revenue enhancements” (the nice way of saying higher taxes and fees) and share their “specific recommendations” as to how the District can balance its budget. The budget isn’t that simple — and a survey on it shouldn’t be, either.

Additionally, the timing is somewhat suspect, writes local public policy expert Susie Cambria:

The bad news is the timing of the survey. If the Gray Administration truly wanted ideas from the public, the survey should have been done in January and February when the results could have been considered, researched, massaged, and included. The survey notice is clear that the survey results “will help shape some final decisions about the budget.” How this is possible is unclear since the the budget timeline, included in the Office of Budget and Planning (OBP) budget instructions, has EOM pencils down March 9 and OBP pencils down March 23.

Basically, the budget is essentially done, so this public survey probably won’t do much to change decisions that have already been made. “I’m actually not sure about what to take away from this,” adds Cambria. “Is this amateur hour, a rookie mistake or something else? I give the mayor a -1.”

Fortunately, this survey won’t be the end of public engagement on the 2012 budget. According to a press release from Gray’s office, both he and City Administrator Allen Lew will “attend several community meetings across the city to discuss the budget” after it is rolled out in April. Additionally, Gray has encouraged residents to get involved in the D.C. Council budget hearings, which will run from April 7 to May 6.

That’s probably the best way to be involved in not only what the budget looks like, but also what it’s called.