Seaside, California "Stays True to Community's Values" by Prioritizing Investment of Shrinking Resources

City of Seaside - Budget Message
In the midst of serious fiscal challenges, it will be particularly important to stay true to the values that will carry us through these difficult times.
The goal of fiscal health was established in consideration of the need to adjust the budgeting process to more effectively align resources with the City’s priorities.

Fiscal health and wellness is an allocation of resources based on priorities.

A process based on a proven fiscal health and wellness model was used to identify all of the City’s programs. The programs were then scored based on the desired results identified by the City Council consistent with the Vision Statement for the City, which is an integral part of the City’s Strategic Plan. Programs were categorized as operational or governance to reflect that there is a structure needed to provide services to the community.
In the midst of serious fiscal challenges, it will be particularly important to stay true to the values that will carry us through these difficult times.

The goal of fiscal health was established in consideration of the need to adjust the budgeting process to more effectively align resources with the City’s priorities. Fiscal health and wellness is an allocation of resources based on priorities. In order to achieve fiscal health, an organization must:

 Spend within its means

 Establish and maintain reserves

 Understand variances (budget vs. actual)

 Know the true cost of doing business

 Include economic analysis and long-term planning in to decision-making

A process based on a proven fiscal health and wellness model was used to identify all of the City’s programs. The programs were then scored based on the desired results identified by the City Council consistent with the Vision Statement for the City, which is an integral part of the City’s Strategic Plan. Programs were categorized as operational or governance to reflect that there is a structure needed to provide services to the community.

The process was then used to identify the range of services offered by the City and determine if resources are going to the highest priority projects. In Seaside, the process demonstrated that the City is generally spending it funds on those programs determined to be the highest priority and that even those with lower scores were considered worthwhile.

As noted above, the challenge is that resources have declined dramatically and that the City does not have the staff or the funding to continue to do what it has done in the past. In order to balance the budget, it will be necessary to reduce or eliminate programs that while valuable, are not mandatory or required to meet the City’s primary municipal responsibilities.