The Seattle City Council will hold a public hearing on Thursday, March 26 at 5:30 p.m. in council chambers to hear from citizens their priorities for city government, including programs and services that they would like to see preserved as the city faces a budget gap of more than $25 million.

“Designing a city budget works best when there is thoughtful and constructive input from citizens,” said council member Jean Godden, chair of the council’s budget committee. “It’s going to take all of us to make the difficult choices and steer us in the right direction."

Since the budget was passed just about three months ago, the city’s sales tax and other revenues have significantly declined and are continuing to do so. This steep drop mirrors what is happening across the country, according to the city.

As a result, the City finds itself facing an estimated budget gap of more than $25 million dollars - and growing - for 2009.