Understanding a complex city budget is important, and that’s why the City of Hercules utilized Tripepi Smith’s expertise to create an animated video that breaks it down for community members.
“The City’s budget serves as the foundation for strategic prioritization and guidance for future decision-making.” said Director Cameron Grimm. “Using animation, we’re able to simplify what could be perceived as complex information and make it understandable for all community members.”
The video outlines how Hercules funds services like public safety, facility maintenance and infrastructure upkeep. For greater clarity, types of revenue are broken down into categories and percentages, with explanations for each.
For instance, the City’s General Fund receives revenue from various types of taxes, with each portion represented on an easy-to-understand pie graph. The funds are further divided into “one-time revenue” and “ongoing revenue”, each with its own restrictions on how and where it’s spent. The video conveys these concepts with illustrations and graphics for the widest reach and accessibility.
“The budget video serves as a valuable communication tool for the City,” said Hercules City Manager Dante Hall. “Tripepi Smith helped us convey Hercules’ finances in a visually appealing way, empowering our residents to better understand the various streams of revenue in the City, reflecting our commitment to transparency and civic engagement.”
About the City of Hercules
The City of Hercules is a twenty-square-mile suburban community located along the coast of San Pablo Bay in Northern California. The City resides in the Eastern San Francisco Bay area with a population of about twenty-four thousand. Known for its historical sites, vibrant landscape and variety of outdoor activities, the City of Hercules provides plenty to visitors and locals alike.
About Tripepi Smith
Tripepi Smith is a California-based marketing, technology and public affairs firm that serves for-profit, nonprofit and public agencies. Its unique mix of marketing and technology prowess provides a competitive advantage to agencies seeking to leverage the internet to achieve their communication goals. The firm provides full content creation services, including: ghost writing, collateral development, photography, video production, aerial imagery, search engine optimization, email marketing campaigns and website design and execution. Tripepi Smith clients include: City of American Canyon, City of Culver City, City of Cupertino, City of Daly City, City of Duarte, City of Grover Beach, City of Indian Wells, City of La Cañada Flintridge, City of Lake Forest, City of Livermore, City of Malibu, City of Napa, City of Palmdale, City of Paramount, City of Tracy, CalChoice Energy Authority, California Joint Powers Insurance Authority, Santa Clara County Fire Department, Costa Mesa Sanitary District, Rowland Water District, California City Management Foundation, Renne Public Law Group, West Coast Arborists, Scripps College, Blind Children’s Center and Climatec.
