Sunday, July 20, 2014

The ELGL Guide to the CPBB "New Wave" of Local Government Conference!


Riding a “New Wave” at CPBB Conference

ELGL is headed to the Rocky Mountains for the CPBB Conference from August 5 to 7 in Denver, Colorado. We are co-sponsoring the conference with NLC, ICMA, AFI, TIG, SRB, and SAN. OK, maybe, we made up the last three acroymns.

The Center for Priority Based Budgeting's 2014 "New Wave" of Local Government Conference is the most relevant event of our time for leading local government innovators!



Center for Priority Based Budgeting 

 

The "New Wave" of Local Government 

 

2014 Annual Conference

 

Denver, Colorado | August 5 - 7, 2014 

 

Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel 

 

Register Now and Book Your Hotel!


It’s important to admit ignorance first, which is why we enlisted a number of ELGL friends to plan our itinerary. We have compiled their suggestions into a mini-Yelp guide for Denver. Should you trust these “ELGL friends?” Who the heck are these ELGL friends? They are:

Chris Gallegos, Clackamas County Communications Specialist and former Dumb Friends League Public Relations Manager in Denver, CO

Heather Geyer, City of Wheat Ridge Administrative Services

Kirsten Silveira, City of Baltimore (MD) Budget Analyst and Colorado State University graduate

Kitty Wooley, Senior Fellows and Friends, Colorado Springs, CO

Nathan Mosley, City of Wheat Ridge, Assistant the City Manager

Paul Piccard, McAfee, Senior Director

Should you take their suggestions and get food poisoning, bit by a rabid liger, get concussed (our favorite word) by a foul ball, or dance too much at the Lady Gaga show, our ELGL friends are not liable.

ELGL Conference Notes

download

First of all, ELGL has you taken care of on Tuesday night. We are co-hosting with CPBB an event at one of the nearby watering holes. Details to be released this week.

Also, before you read the below suggestions and get all jacked up to incorporate them into your itinerary, you should note that ELGL is presenting a unique session on Wednesday, August 6 at 1:15 p.m. Our team will present a rapid-fire session on “40 Items for Improving Your Organization.” (Note: Not to worry, there is not an 100 slide PowerPoint accompanying our presentation, only bad jokes, tank tops, and nervous laughter.)

Downtown

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The Celtic Tavern - fun bar to hang out at.

The Corner Office – restaurant and martini bar

Euclid Hall – American tavern focuses on high quality and innovative pub food from around the world including housemade sausages, po’ boys, poutine and schnitzels. An extensive beer selection and creative cocktails drive the beverage program.

Falling Rock Tap House - beer lover’s paradise, with a revolving door of beers arranged by region and weight.

Great Divide Brewery (2201 Arapahoe St, Denver, CO 80205) - They are all about the Denver brew!

Katie Mullen’s Irish Pub - across from the hotel, fun atmosphere.

The Park Avenue Grill - established in 1988 as a traditional San Francisco style neighborhood restaurant. The restaurant décor is reminiscent of the supper clubs of the 30’s and 40’s with its impressive vintage bar and crisp white tablecloths.

Snooze – yummy breakfast and bruch! Usually a wait so be prepared for one.

The Source an artisan food market, this is a must see! Cab ride away from the hotel.  Acorn has awesome food! ***You will probably need reservations for dinner.

Tamayo – upscale Mexican restaurant

Wynkoop (1634 18th St, Denver, CO 80202) The brewery opened by current CO governor John Hickenlooper when he was just a local business guy. Awesome local brews, as well.

Yard House - great bar near the Sheridan.

Click here to read the full article on The ELGL YELP Guide to the CPBB Conference

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Temple City CA Increases Efficiency of Government Spending Through PBB


".... the priority based budget (PBB) is becoming the more preferred alternative." 

 

Temple City, CA Budget-In-Brief

The Budget-in-Brief outlining the proposed Fiscal Year (FY) 2014-15 City Budget is now available online www.templecity.us. The report provides a concise overview of the City’s financial position and forecast for the upcoming year — including anticipated revenues, expenditures and economic trends.

Also featured is an introduction to priority-based budgeting (PBB), a new practice the City adopted
last year in an attempt to increase the efficiency of government spending. Having recently completed the public engagement process for the Temple City Strategic Plan, we are now using the PBB approach to help ensure that resources are allocated in a way that reflects and responds to community objectives and needs.


Priority Based Budgeting

In most municipalities including Temple City, the line item budget has historically been the prevailing accounting mechanism for its simplicity. However, with Temple City in the process of adopting a Strategic Plan and looking to address evolving community needs, the priority based budget (PBB) is becoming the more preferred alternative. In contrast to the traditional approach that was focused on replenishing existing line items, PBB allocates resources based on evolving needs. In addition to being more responsive to priorities changing over time, PBB also recognizes the interdepartmental nature of many programs, and allocates funds based on activity rather than by individual departments.

Click to read the full Temple City CA Budget in Brief and the full FY 2014-15 City Budget.

Congratulations Temple City for leading local government innovation through your successful implementation of priority based Budgeting!


The Center for Priority Based Budgeting's 2014 "New Wave" of Local Government Conference is the most relevant event of our time for leading local government innovators!



Early-bird registration extended through July 18th!



Center for Priority Based Budgeting 

 

The "New Wave" of Local Government 

 

2014 Annual Conference

 

Denver, Colorado | August 5 - 7, 2014 

 

Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel 

 

Register Now and Book Your Hotel!

Sunday, July 13, 2014

Hermosa Beach, CA City Budget Reflects a Focus on Priority Based Budgeting!


"This budgeting process reflects a focus on priority-based budgeting with high level of customer service that has engaged community and stakeholders.” - City Manager Tom Bakaly


The Center for Priority Based Budgeting is proud to welcome the City of Hermosa Beach, California as a recent priority based budgeting partner community in early 2014. The city has worked hard in their implementation of priority based budgeting and the results of their work is paying off.

Sandy Mazza with The Beach Reporter recently wrote an article Hermosa Beach's city budget buoyed by higher revenue. See the full article below and congratulations again to Hermosa Beach on their efforts in successfully implementing PBB!

Hermosa Beach's City Budget Buoyed by Higher Revenue

Working with a slight bump in revenues for the fiscal year that begins Tuesday, Hermosa Beach leaders have crafted a budget that plans for long-term needs but also provides short-term spending on several community projects.

The 2014-15 budget adopted last week by the City Council sets aside additional money for street and park improvements. The “8th Street Safe Walk to School” program will receive $67,000 in funding to be combined with $300,000 in grant funds for new crosswalks where the sidewalks end along Eighth Street. About $1 million will go to various street improvements, in addition to ongoing aesthetic and roadwork improvements along Pacific Coast Highway and Aviation Boulevard.


Altogether, $6.4 million is allocated for capital improvements that also include protective supports along The Strand, energy-efficient electrical upgrades at Clark Field, renovations at the fire station, Police Department and City Hall, and various improvements at the city’s two other parks.

One of the biggest budget debates Tuesday centered on how to fund needed sewer upgrades across the city. Staff members pegged the cost of improvements at $14 million, but council members voted to reduce that figure to $10 million by doing the work in-house rather than through a consultant.

Council members directed staff to return with various options to pay for the work and they voted to prioritize the project by assigning extra revenue expected from the city’s insurance fund into the sewer system.

“Utility-users’ tax pays for sewer maintenance but we have to replace parts of it because these structures wear out,” Councilman Pete Tucker said. “They crack and get realigned from earthquakes. They need to be replaced just like the tires on your car, but they’re underground so nobody thinks about it.”

Big-ticket items like the sewers have become the centerpiece of a campaign by E&B Natural Resources Management Corp., which is promising hundreds of millions of dollars in new revenue to the city if voters approve its proposal to drill for oil in an upcoming ballot measure.

The city has more than $100 million on its wish list for capital improvements for the next 20 years, but budget expenditures are expected to exceed revenues in the next few years because of increasing expenses and other costs.

In addition, if residents do not approve the oil-drilling measure, the city will have to pay $17.5 million as part of a 2012 lawsuit settlement tied to its previous revocation of oil-drilling rights that were approved in the 1980s and rescinded years later. A portion of next year’s budget will be set aside in anticipation of that payment.

Council members advocated for priority spending on needed infrastructure upgrades with an eye to the oil-drilling proposal and lawsuit settlement.

“A lot of our extra money that we have as a city is going to the oil issue,” Councilwoman Carolyn Petty said. “Once things get past November (when the ballot measure is expected to go before voters), we’re going to have a different financial outlook.”

In the immediate future, however, revenues are expected to increase.

“The positive trend in property tax revenue continues to go up,” Finance Director Viki Copeland said, highlighting one of the budget’s positive aspects. “We’re very fortunate we never had a dip there, while a lot of cities had big dips.”

Property taxes account for the largest chunk of revenue, making up 39.6 percent of the budget. Sales taxes, which will account for about 7.7 percent of city spending, are also expected to get a bump. Most other revenue sources are relatively flat since the last fiscal year, Copeland said.

“The increase in revenue is small, but some of those sources are up at a very high level so, if they maintain, that’s good,” she said.

By July 2015, the city’s savings account is expected to reach $8 million.

Most of the city’s $33.7 million general fund, 63 percent of it, will fund the salaries of city employees. That amount is roughly 7 percent less than it was before organizational cuts were made during the height of the recession.

Public safety accounts for about 60 percent of total operational spending from Tuesday through June 30, 2015. Public works spending will make up about 13 percent of the budget, management 9 percent, community development projects and programs 5.3 percent, and capital improvements 6 percent, Copeland said.

City Manager Tom Bakaly said this budgeting process reflects a focus on “priority-based budgeting with high level of customer service that has engaged community and stakeholders.”

For example, since May, the city has held a workshop, study session and two public hearings on the proposed budget. Spending priorities were also identified in earlier community meetings and working groups of residents paired with consultants. An emphasis was placed on things that are environmentally conscious and reflect Hermosa Beach’s status as a small beach town that values healthy, active lifestyles.

The Center for Priority Based Budgeting's 2014 "New Wave" of Local Government Conference is the most relevant event of our time for leading local government innovators!


Early-bird registration ends July 11th!



Center for Priority Based Budgeting 

 

The "New Wave" of Local Government 

 

2014 Annual Conference

 

Denver, Colorado | August 5 - 7, 2014 

 

Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel 

 

Register Now and Book Your Hotel!

Thursday, July 10, 2014

A History of Headlines! The CPBB Anthology!


The Center for Priority Based Budgeting has assembled the published works on Fiscal Health and Priority Based Budgeting, all in one place. Each published article and white paper is yours by clicking on the links below. Our objective is to add to this library by posting articles and stories from the front-lines of communities who have implemented the core concepts of Fiscal Health and Wellness through Priority Based Budgeting. 


CPBB Publications on Priority Based Budgeting


June 2014,  How Investing in Priorities Led to Budget Innovation in Nevada written by Former County Manager, Douglas County, NV, Steve Mokrohisky

June 2014, CPBB Priority Based Budgeting Community "Visualization" Map- The Center for Priority Based Budgeting has implemented our core concepts of Fiscal Health and Priority Based Budgeting in nearly 70 communities. Now see where CPBB communities exist coast-to-coast!

April 2014, Priority BasedBudgeting: Identification of Public Values and Public Priorities throughCitizen Engagement in Government Budgeting Decisions, a dissertation by Dr.Sheryl Mitchell.

Description: The purpose of the PhD dissertation was to understand and explore the Priority Based Budgeting (PBB) process in order to learn how PBB can be used by government leaders to effectively engage citizens in identifying public values and priorities. Dr. Mitchell also sought to discover if the PBB process, by reframing dialogues and focusing on values and priorities, can provide guidance for budget expenditures and thereby align resources with public values and priorities. Also see Dr. Mitchell's PBB Dissertation Executive Summary, The Definitive Case for Priority Based Budgeting!

October 2013, Embracing the Decade of "Local Government" - How to Face Challenges and Seize Opportunities written by Jon Johnson and Chris Fabian of the Center for Priority Based Budgeting and Cheryl Hilvert of ICMA, published by International City / County Manager's Association's (ICMA) professional journal, Public Management "PM" Magazine
Description: The recession may officially be over according to economists, but unlike the normal ebb and flow of the past, the picture is dramatically different than anything managers have experienced during other economic cycles. Local governments are realizing that they will not simply return to the status quo that existed before the recession.

Managers are coming to grips with an environment in which:
  • Revenues will at best remain flat or continue to decline.
  • Costs associated with energy, fuel, health care, and basic supplies will continue to grow.
  • Taxpayers can't afford to pay more because of the recession’s impact on their own personal finances.
Taxpayers are perhaps expecting local government to provide even more support in meeting their social, physical, environmental, and economic needs, especially with the declining assistance in these same areas from federal and/or state sources.

How does local government seize this incredible opportunity, embracing O’Neill’s decade of local government, but still continue to offer the important, even vital, services required by communities in a responsive and timely fashion?

September 2012
Seeing Things Differently: Through the Lens of Priority-Based Budgeting, Communities Gain Powerful Insights into Their Programs, authored by Jon Johnson and Chris Fabian, published by International City / County Manager's Association's (ICMA) professional journal, Public Management "PM" Magazine
Description: Priority Based Budgeting has been declared a Leading Practice for Government Management by ICMA. Three years after it's invention, the process has been implemented in nearly 70 communities across the Country, from cities as large as Sacramento CA, and Cincinnati OH to communities as politically complex and diverse as Boulder CO and Monterey CA, to organizations as small as Post Falls ID, Chrisitansburg VA and Blue Ash OH.

The "unique lens" of Priority Based Budgeting is leading organizations to surprising breakthroughs and insights, focusing on questions such as: What is the local government uniquely qualified to provide, for the maximum benefit to citizens for the tax dollars they pay? What is the community truly mandated to provide? What does it cost to fulfill those mandates? What are the appropriate programs to consider establishing or increasing user-fees? What are the appropriate programs to consider partnerships with other community service providers? What services might the local government reach consensus about “getting out of the business” of providing? Where are there apparent overlaps and redundancies in a community where several entities are providing similar services? Where is the local government potentially competing against businesses in its own community?

March 2011
White Paper: Anatomy of a Priority Driven Budget Process, authored by Chris Fabian, Jon Johnson and GFOA's Shayne Kavanagh, published by the Government Finance Officer's Association (GFOA) as a White Paper
Description: This White Paper, published by GFOA, is the first paper documenting some of the key ingredients of a Priority Based Budget initiative. While most governments today agree on the need to prioritize services and resource allocation, the key issue remains: how do you do that?

This is a paper about the Center for Priority Based Budgeting's methodologies and process which are pioneering in the field of priority based budgeting, as well as some of CPBB's most successful stories from the work, namely: San Jose, Lakeland, Walnut Creek, Blue Ash, Grand Island, Chesapeake, Boulder and Fairfield. To quote Chesapeake's City manager in 2010, William Harrell: "It sounds intuitive but what we found was there was no real methodology to connect all of the things that government does" to what policymakers want to see for their cities. (Virginia Pilot, regional newspaper, Chesapeake, Virginia)

May 2010
Anatomy of a Priority Based Budget, authored by Jon Johnson, Chris Fabian and GFOA's Shayne Kavanagh, published by the Government Finance Officer's Association's (GFOA) professional journal, Government Finance Review (GFR)
Description: Priority Driven Budgeting is about how a government should invest resources in order to meet its stated objectives. Prioritization helps us to better articulate why the programs we offer exist, what value they offer to citizens, how they benefit the community, what price we pay for them, and what objectives and citizen demands they are achieving. Priority Driven Budgeting is about directing resources to those programs that create the greatest value for the public." 

June 2008
Prioritization: The New Reality of Budgeting, authored by Chris Fabian, Scott Collins and Jon Johnson, published by International City / County Manager's Association's (ICMA) professional journal, Public Management "PM" Magazine
Description: Unveiling the invention of Priority Based Budgeting, the authors note: "the biggest challenge we face in government is not the ever-changing fiscal conditions. Instead, the issue most often is a crisis of strategy."

Recognizing this, we believe that implementing prioritization is an effective way to combat crises. All organizations, especially those that are stewards of public resources, establish values and objectives to meet the expectations of those for whom they exist to serve. Resources contributed by the community or other constituencies are dedicated to achieve those established objectives, regardless of the current fiscal condition. As we evaluate the inventories of all programs and services offered, we would find it implausible to believe that each achieves those objectives to an equal extent.

Prioritization offers an objective process that allows those responsible for resource allocation decisions to ensure that those programs of higher value to citizens, those programs that achieve the organization’s objectives most visibly and effectively, can be sustained through adequate funding levels regardless of the fiscal crisis du jour. Whether there are more resources to distribute or fewer to allocate, prioritization guides that allocation toward those programs most highly valued by the organization and, most important, by the citizens who depend on those programs for their well-being, their comfort, and their expected quality of life.

CPBB Publications on Fiscal Health

October 2009, It’s All in the Questions – The Manager's Role in Achieving Fiscal Health (Part 2), authored by Jon Johnson and Chris Fabian, published by International City / County Manager's Association's (ICMA) professional journal, Public Management "PM" Magazine
Description: When elected officials start asking if it's time to cut services, cut staff, or raise taxes, are you confident you have the facts and analyses to offer a thoughtful recommendation? Be prepared with an approach that uses a series of basic but critical diagnostic questions that center around five measures of fiscal health. In October 2009, PM Magazine published Part 2 in the "It's All in the Questions" series which highlighted the public manager's role in assessing the organization's Fiscal Health. With special emphasis on the effectiveness of Internal Service Funds and the success of scenario planning models such as the Fiscal Health Diagnostic Tool, this article helps put in place the final foundation of financial stability needed so that an organization can look to Priority Based Budgeting with a sound footing.

September 2009
It’s All in the Questions – The Manager's Role in Achieving Fiscal Health (Part 1), authored by Jon Johnson and Chris Fabian, published by International City / County Manager's Association's (ICMA) professional journal, Public Management "PM" Magazine
Description: "It's All in the Questions - the Manager's Role in Achieving Fiscal Health" is the latest Cover Story for Pubic Management Magazine, and includes Part 1 of a 2 part series, with Part 1 focusing on the critical identification and differentiation between reliable, predicatable, ongoing revenues and those of a one-time nature; establishing and demonstrating reserves; and understanding and addressing variances.
The Center for Priority Based Budgeting's 2014 "New Wave" of Local Government Conference is the most relevant event of our time for leading local government innovators!

Early-bird registration ends July 11th!



Center for Priority Based Budgeting 

 

The "New Wave" of Local Government 

 

2014 Annual Conference

 

Denver, Colorado | August 5 - 7, 2014 

 

Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel 

 

Register Now and Book Your Hotel!




Wednesday, July 9, 2014

Things to do in Denver while Attending the 2014 CPBB "New Wave" of Local Government Conference!



The Center for Priority Based Budgeting's 2014 "New Wave" of 
Local Government Conference is the most relevant event of our time 
for leading local government innovators!

Early-bird registration ends July 11th!  

Book your hotel by July 11th to ensure you receive the lowest preferred rate!


For those already registered or planning on attending, Denver CO offers an amazing variety of urban and recreational opportunities just minutes away from our conference hotel. Opportunities include:


 
This year's conference will showcase leading public and private sector innovators who are inspiring an epic REVOLUTION in local government!
  • Redefining how to legitimately attain economic development and measurable local job creation through the use of incubators and partnerships
  • Discover new models for achieving safer communities at lesser cost
  • Explore revenue generation strategies attainable to every local government that have to date remained hidden
  • Dive into shared service models emerging to help local government redefine service levels in key public-public and public-private partnerships
  • Understand and digest the complex role of local government in long-term "sustainability"
  • Advance past "performance measurement" to reveal a new component to priority based budgeting that includes "results measurement" strategies 
  • Grasp how credit rating agencies assess municipal credit ratings and how the transparent concepts of fiscal health and priority based budgeting can assist in stabilizing and improving bond and credit ratings
  • Expose your organization to the hands-on tools attainable to your community to fulfill the promise of reinventing government
  • Bring to light how to harvest the skill sets of the next generation of emerging leaders
  • Immerse yourself in the implementation strategies, shared experiences and lessons learned of the nearly 70 communities who have successfully brought the full potential of Fiscal Health and Priority Based Budgeting to their organizations
  • And one more thing: the CPBB Conference just wouldn't be the same without a few surprises and unveilings!  


REGISTER HERE!

 

Center for Priority Based Budgeting 

 

The "New Wave" of Local Government 

 

2014 Annual Conference

 

Denver, Colorado | August 5 - 7, 2014 

 

Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel 

 

Register Now and Book Your Hotel!








Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Early Bird Rate for 2014 CPBB "New Wave" of Local Government Conference EXTENDED to July 18th!

 


The Center for Priority Based Budgeting's 2014 "New Wave" of Local Government Conference is the most relevant event of our time for leading local government innovators!

Early-bird registration extended to July 18th!

  A Revolution in how Community’s Leverage Resources! Leading the Way in Key "Result Areas" - Through the "New Lens" of Priority Based Budgeting, communities have unveiled an entirely unique understanding regarding the "Results of Government" that define the very role of modern local government.  The answer to the question "why do we exist" has focused on several key "Result" areas most relevant for our time. 

This year's conference will showcase leading public and private sector innovators who are inspiring an epic REVOLUTION in local government!
  • Redefining how to legitimately attain economic development and measurable local job creation through the use of incubators and partnerships
  • Discover new models for achieving safer communities at lesser cost
  • Explore revenue generation strategies attainable to every local government that have to date remained hidden
  • Dive into shared service models emerging to help local government redefine service levels in key public-public and public-private partnerships
  • Understand and digest the complex role of local government in long-term "sustainability"
  • Advance past "performance measurement" to reveal a new component to priority based budgeting that includes "results measurement" strategies 
  • Grasp how credit rating agencies assess municipal credit ratings and how the transparent concepts of fiscal health and priority based budgeting can assist in stabilizing and improving bond and credit ratings
  • Expose your organization to the hands-on tools attainable to your community to fulfill the promise of reinventing government
  • Bring to light how to harvest the skill sets of the next generation of emerging leaders
  • Immerse yourself in the implementation strategies, shared experiences and lessons learned of the nearly 70 communities who have successfully brought the full potential of Fiscal Health and Priority Based Budgeting to their organizations
  • And one more thing: the CPBB Conference just wouldn't be the same without a few surprises and unveilings!  

REGISTER HERE! 

 

Center for Priority Based Budgeting 

 

The "New Wave" of Local Government 

 

2014 Annual Conference

 

Denver, Colorado | August 5 - 7, 2014 

 

Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel 

 

Register Now and Book Your Hotel!



The "New Wave" of Local Government 2014 annual conference is brought to you by the Center for Priority Based Budgeting (CPBB) in partnership with the International City/County Management Association (ICMA), the Alliance for Innovation (AFI), Emerging Local Government Leaders (ELGL) and the National League of Cities (NLC).


The ICMA "Leading Practice" of Priority Based Budgeting is fundamentally changing the way local governments are approaching resource allocation, community partnerships, transparency in financial management and literacy, credit rating management, and our very understanding of the modern role of pro-active governance.


A Revolution In How Communities Leverage Resources


Building upon the excitement and enthusiasm from the CPBB 2013 "Summit of Leading Practices" Annual Conference, we'll be delivering even more success driven initiatives from the CPBB, our partners and your local government practitioner peers that will provide proven strategies designed to catapult your organization into the innovation stratosphere! REGISTER HERE!

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--> Click to register, book a room (discount room rates start at $159 per night) and discover more about the 2014 CPBB conference program! For conference sponsorship and exhibitor opportunities click here.






Wednesday, July 2, 2014

"Sunshine, Puppies & Rainbows" - Town of Cary, NC Budget Approved Utilizing Priority Based Budgeting


The Town of Cary, North Carolina, was the first local government community in North Carolina to partner with the Center for Priority Based Budgeting (CPBB) in implementing Priority Based Budgeting in 2013. And we couldn't be more thrilled with their "Results!"

Since then, the CPBB has partnered with Gaston County and the Town of Garner to further spread priority based budgeting far and wide across the beautiful State of North Carolina. And once again we've found the results scalable and replicable! We couldn't be more excited!

This recent article, Budgets & Verts, by Laurie Bush from the Cary Citizen details how the Town of Cary has determined the "results" the community stands to achieve and how they've tied these results to their budgeting process. An exemplary model for how priority based budgeting "focuses community resources on results." And how the Town of Cary has utilized the CPBB's priority based budgeting "to ensure that our resources align with the priorities that Council sets for the Town."

Amazing work Laurie Bush and more specifically the Council and leadership of the Town of Cary! The Center for Priority Based Budgeting congratulates your efforts!

This new article by Don Frantz articulates how "After a number of council staff work sessions and an unprecedented amount of citizen input the council approved the Town of Cary’s FY2015 budget. The approved budget totals nearly $261 million with $209 million allocated for operations and $51 million to fund capital projects. 

This is also the first budget approved utilizing priority based budgeting practices adopted by council last year. While previous budget years have been guided by the town’s mission statement and statement of values, at the 2014 council retreat the council and town staff developed a list of goals and practices to better define our community priorities.

Priority based budgeting provides for a comprehensive review of the entire town organization and the programs and services offered. It then analyzes each one (501 total) to determine costs and relevance to the goals and practices identified by council above. Every program or service was then ranked and divided into four tiers with the most important in the top tier and the least at the bottom. Highest priorities get funded – those at the bottom not so much."

Click here to read the full article!

REGISTER HERE!

 

Center for Priority Based Budgeting 

 

The "New Wave" of Local Government 

 

2014 Annual Conference

 

Denver, Colorado | August 5 - 7, 2014 

 

Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel 

 

Register Now and Book Your Hotel!