Photo courtesy of Flickr user The Cleveland Kid under Creative Commons license

Your chance to get a preview of the city of Richmond’s budget and offer some input is coming soon to a neighborhood near you.

The city is planning a round of community meetings next month and trying to hit just about every neighborhood before the City Council adopts a budget for 2011-12.

Tough times are ahead for the city. A few months ago, Richmond projected a $4 million shortfall in the 2011-12 fiscal year that is expected to grow to $6.5 million the following year.

Officials say more revenue is needed to pay for public services, and they will ask voters in a special June 7 election to increase the sales tax rate from 9.75 percent to 10.25 percent. It would generate $5.5 million to $6 million annually, if approved.