How Elected Officials Guide Policy Direction with Priority Based Budgeting

We're often asked about how city council members, county commissioners and all elected officials use the Priority Based Budgeting model. How deeply do they get into the details?

The City of Cincinnati has accomplished something remarkable by keeping Council focused at the policy level.

Council has generated policy questions that the model can help answer, and guided staff to answer these questions as part of the budget development process. It's a perfect application of the process!

Here is an excerpt from the Policy Guidance:

http://www.cincinnati-oh.gov/noncms/council/uploads/20120626.html

MOTION, dated June 25, 2012, submitted by Vice Mayor Qualls, Councilmembers Thomas, Young, Seelbach, Simpson, Sittenfeld, Quinlivan, that the administration construct a budget based on the following factors:
1) Use the information from the Priority Driven Budget process to recommend elimination or reduction of functions based upon whether other organizations or entities are serving the same populations or providing the same function. If this is the case, the administration should outline a method of transitioning individuals to the other services or programs.
2) Recommend changes to mandated programs that exceed the minimum requirements of the mandate.
3) Identify functions that can be shared with other political jurisdictions.
4) Identify functions that, rather than eliminate them, can be made self sufficient through the establishment of a fee structure.