Blue Ash seeks citizen input on budget process

Blue Ash seeks input on budget process

Coinciding with the work underway between Blue Ash and local government advisors Jon Johnson and Chris Fabian, an open house is
scheduled for 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Thursday, March 25, in the Council Chambers of the Blue Ash Municipal & Safety Center, 4343 Cooper Road. This open house will be informal and will provide an opportunity for residents to learn more about the budget prioritization process underway. The local government advisors will be in town and at the open house to answer questions directly from residents and representatives from the city also will be on hand to talk with residents. A unique and fun interactive opportunity also will be available at the open house where residents may "cast their vote" and invest a specified virtual dollar amount as to what activities of their local government they deem most important and "valuable."

City of Boulder Opens Result Definition Process to its Citizens to Launch Prioritization

http://dailycamera.com/boulder-county-news/ci_14696288

Boulder wants public to help define citywide goals, priorities

Budget process for 2011 begins with meeting tonight
By Heath Urie Camera Staff Writer
Boulder Daily Camera

Boulder wants to move to a "priority-based" model for the city budget. That system seeks to identify how important every program, department and service is, based on whether they help achieve the goals of the community. For example, if the public and the City Council decided that having safe neighborhoods is a top priority, services like police and firefighters would likely help meet those objectives. Those departments would then look at each of their expenses to see what contributes to their success and efficiency.

Anything that doesn't could be a starting point for budget cuts. "Ranking isn't a word that I would use," Brautigam said. "Prioritizing is the way we're thinking about it."

San Jose Budget Shortfall Informed by Context of Priotization - "It's a New Conversation"

https://www.yousendit.com/download/OHo2ZEU5NEhRR2Z2Wmc9PQ

The Program Prioritization effort will inform the development of the City’s 2010-2011 Proposed Budget and serve as a tool to identify potential service reductions and eliminations. The evaluation of programs as part of this process may also identify potential duplication of efforts or opportunities to consolidate similar programs and/or services that can delivered through partnership with other governmental agencies, non-profit agencies, or the private sector.

It is important to note that a high rating of a program will not guarantee that a program will be retained; nor does it guarantee that a lower-ranking program will be proposed for elimination. Also, the rankings do not reflect whether a program is being delivered in the most efficient manner. The prioritization process will provide valuable information for budget proposal development and City Council deliberation. It will not be the "only answer" to how best to rectify the City’s budget shortfall.

State of Nebraska Senator Gloor Praises Grand Island Prioritization Initiative

http://theindependent.com/articles/2010/03/16/opinions/letters/doc4b9fa3675482f930933838.txt
G.I. ahead of state with prioritization process

By Sen. Mike Gloor

I read with both pleasure and envy the recent article on the city’s new Program Prioritization process. Pleasure because a discerning approach like this is the type of focused decision making model that successful businesses use. I am glad to see its use in our city’s governance. I am envious because it is the type of approach the Unicameral is moving toward with our recently initiated planning committee process. In this instance, the city of Grand Island is well ahead of the state of Nebraska.

City working on selective cuts

City working on selective cuts

Instead of making spending cuts to all city programs to deal with an estimated $3 million shortfall in the coming year's budget, Grand Island officials are closely evaluating all 350 city services to make selective adjustments.

"It's the antithesis of across the board cuts," City Administrator Jeff Pederson said of the city's ongoing Program Prioritization process.

Across the board cuts are "indiscriminate and can hurt important programs and actually retain less important or inefficient type programs," Pederson told the Grand Island Rotary Club on Tuesday.

Virginia Local Government Management Association Pre-Conference Session on Prioritization

Download Presentation Slides here:
https://www.yousendit.com/download/THE1cHBCZ1BubHhMWEE9PQ

Arkansas School Boards Association Applies Principles of Fiscal Health

“The Vital Signs of District Fiscal Health”

School District Board Members were introduced to the principles of Fiscal Health at this year's winter conference.

Grand Island - Looking for Answers through Program Prioritization

Looking for answers through Program Prioritization

"Going through a deep evaluation of city programs, rather than cutting across the board, seems the best and most sustainable method of budgeting," said Mayor Margaret Hornady.
"This is the most rational approach I've ever seen," she said.

Looking for answers through Program Prioritization

By Tracy Overstreet
tracy.overstreet@theindependent.com
Published: Sunday, March 7, 2010 10:08 PM CST

Saturday was a jolting day for the Grand Island City Council -- a $1.5 million revenue shortfall to fix for this fiscal year and a $3 million problem for the coming year.

Raising taxes to completely take care of the problem didn't seem like a good fit, so the council is looking to make cuts.

But where to cut?

That's where the city's new Program Prioritization program comes in.

Blue Ash working to prioritize city services | cincinnati.com ...

Blue Ash working to prioritize city services cincinnati.com ...

Blue Ash is working with Chris Fabian and Jon Johnson to evaluate and prioritize city services as a way to assist in budgetary planning.
The course of action is intended to help focus the city's decision-making process by basing priorities on outcomes. According to Fabian and Johnson, addressing current fiscal realities while still meeting the objectives and the expectations of constituents represents the biggest challenge to every organization's long-term fiscal wellness.
Prioritization of services creates an objective and transparent decision-making process, one that ensures programs of higher value to citizens - those that achieve the organization's objectives most effectively - can be sustained through adequate funding levels regardless of the economic conditions.