As we're seeing in Washington right now, figuring out budgets can be a tricky, slippery, trying thing. However, City of Eau Claire just added a new step to the process that may give us citizens a bit more of a sway – or at least them know what we're thinking.

The new Electronic Eau Claire Conversation (or E2C2, as they've dubbed it) is a public input app on the city's website that launched Tuesday. City officials will use the site to take the pulse of the city on various issues – starting here with the budget.

The first question posed from the city lets you take a stab at our budget. The app gives you $500 to allocate across different city departments and functions, including street maintenance, police, parks, capital projects and more. It also shows you what portion the city currently spends on each section, giving you a bit of expert insight. When you're done, your choices will show up (with or without your name) for others to see and comment on, opening  up a conversation space about some of the more prickly areas of government.

City Manager Russ Van Gompel announced the new site – which is available now – at a press conference Tuesday. "(E2C2) is a mechanism that we're going to use to help collect input from residents," Van Gompel said. "We're excited about opportunity for citizen engagement. It's a way of getting data to our elected officials, especially that of those who don't want to take the time to get to a public hearing or a formal meeting."

You can give your input on the budget up until Nov 4. At the Nov. 5 City Council meeting, the council will be taking public input as well. Find E2C2 right here.