The City of Topeka gave citizens the chance to help decide what their money will be spent on next year. Sponsoring a "let's talk budget" meeting, the city asked their input on where they wanted their tax dollars to go - or not go.

People had more questions than concerns. One big question being "where does all the city's money go?"

City Manager Norton Bonaparte had some pretty interesting answers: The City of Topeka spends $675,000 a year on snow removal. It costs the city $2,000 just to mow all of Gage Park one time, and it costs $90,000 a year to feed the animals at the zoo, $10,000 of that for the elephants alone.

The City Manager used these random examples to show people there are a lot of costs to the city every year they never think about.

About 15 people attended the meeting and those who did voiced concerns over funding for social service organizations, the upkeep of city buildings and grounds, and of course, road repair. They also said they were glad the city wants to hear from them.

"I think it's a good idea to have citizens come out because not everyone gets their opinions spoken for by the council and I think a lot of people have ideas about their neighborhoods and what they would like to see money spent on," said Rebecca Williams, a concerned citizen who attended the meeting.

The City Manager said he will take what the people said at the meeting Monday night and use it to create his proposed budget to be presented before the City Council on July 1st.

This is the only meeting that the city will hold, but the City Manager encouraged people to call or email the city if they have any other questions or concerns.

If you would like to give your opinion on the 2009 budget, or have any questions for the City Manager, you can call his office at 368-3725 or you can email the city at 2009budget@topeka.org.