Jacksonville Mayor John Peyton wants you to know where your tax dollars go. That is why he recently launched a new website, www.myjaxbudget.com, which details the city’s budgeting process.The budget impacts everyone, and the Mayor wants the community to participate in the process. The website includes information about the city, its departments and divisions, their budgets and the services they provide. Visitors can review information and contact city leaders by e-mail.

The Mayor is also holding a series of budget workshops aimed at getting taxpayers involved in the process. People can sign up here to attend one of the budget workshops. At the workshops, city officials and the Jacksonville Community Council, a nonprofit think-tank, will go through the major functions of each department. Attendees will be asked to assign a priority level to various city services. The results will be compiled for use when the Mayor and his staff choose what gets funded.

The Mayor will present his 2010-11 budget to the City Council in July. This is your opportunity to better understand Jacksonville’s $1 billion budget and what it takes to keep local government operating.