You should obtain a copy of the budget manual, current operating budget and annual financial report of a unit of government or nonprofit agency by the third week of the Term. Support all information with academically qualified references. The goal of the paper is to provide a practical exercise that gives you the experience of identifying and defining the principles and strategies required for reporting to the public a clear and thorough path to “follow the money”.
Select one of the options below to focus on- either the overall budget process or how the budget performance is measured. Conclude the paper with your recommendations.
Option 1- Budget Process (3-5 pages)
The budget process. Is this a line-item budget or some form of program or performance-based budget? Discuss in detail the process for preparing and approving your organization’s budget. When and who prepares revenue forecasts? What are the principle sources of revenue? What is the range of public services? Do they measure levels of services? Do they have budget policies? How often are they reviewed? How does the public participate in the budget review? Where is the budget office/function located? What are the qualifications of the staff? Evaluate the budget guidelines. Are they available online? What seems to be the guiding philosophy/style of the chief executive? (Participatory, limited debate, arbiter) What kinds of conflicts appear to permeate the process? How well does the organization manage conflict? What is the role of the legislative body/governing board? How are their policy priorities integrated into budget decisions?
OR
Option 2- Performance Measures (3-5 pages)
The budget document. Discuss in detail the information used in making budget decisions. What kind of budget is prepared? What evidence exists of the innovations introduced over time? Does the information prepared by department heads appear to be effectively used in budget deliberations? Do department heads regard the process as fair to them? Discuss the performance measures used in the budget process. Are they effectively used to evaluate budget priorities? What recommendations would you offer to improve budget deliberations?
Paper Conclusion & Wrap -Up/integration to course materials (2-4 pages)
Overall recommendations. Identify 2 things (if any) this organization can/should do to improve its budget process and document. Be realistic. If performance measures are poorly integrated into the decision process, you should offer realistic recommendations. The information for this paper will come from reviewing the budget documentation that you collect, text, and other academic publications. For larger organizations, you may want to focus on one or two departments.
Format:
The paper should be typed, double-spaced, 1 margins, and be 5-7 pages in length. Full citation is expected. (Wikipedia is not an academic source.) Cite all references using the APA citation style. Papers are evaluated using the learning goals, and the students’ ability to synthesize the material and provide a critical analysis of the issues. This paper should reflect college-level work in content, appearance, organization, grammar, and effort. Report expectations: premise, supporting arguments, and conclusions are logically presented and analyzed systematically. Good command of Social Science vocabulary. Verbal precision is superior.
One source needs to be : R Mark Mussell “Understanding Government Budges A Practical Guide “ Lasted edition
http://www.oaklandparkfl.gov/DocumentCenter/View/7953/FY-20-Budget-Message-ADA-PDF
http://www.oaklandparkfl.gov/DocumentCenter/View/7842/Budget-Summary-PDF
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