Blue Ash Leverages Citizen Survey and Public Engagement in Prioritization as City Prepares for Long-term

Update on Blue Ash's budget prioritization process cincinnati.com CommunityPress.com

Recent information from Moody's (the nation's largest bond rating agency) confirms that prioritization processes such as what Blue Ash is going through demonstrate a strategic approach to managing the current fiscal environment.

So where do we go from here? The local government advisors developed a unique tool that Blue Ash can utilize for years to come as a part of the city's annual budgetary planning process. This tool will be valuable in assisting the council and administration in determining what services and programs contribute directly to the city's overall objectives, including the evaluation of any future new programs or services being considered.

Walnut Creek Recognized for Authentic Citizen Engagement in Prioritization Process by the Institute for Local Government

http://www.ca-ilg.org/node/2601

Walnut Creek uses Community Dialogues to Inform Difficult Budget Decisions

Even cities with a relatively well-off population are facing difficult choices due to falling revenues. In the eastern San Francisco bay area city of Walnut Creek, as in many other cities around the state, local officials faced the unpleasant task of cutting programs in 2009 due to budget shortfalls, and the more unpleasant task of explaining this to the public. Building on an ongoing tradition of collaboration with residents and community building programs, city staff and officials worked with consultants and adopted a multi-stage public engagement Fiscal Health and Wellness prioritization process to educate and gather informed input from hundreds of residents.

City of Fairfield Launches Website Inviting Community to Follow Progress in Priority Based Budget Initiative

http://www.ci.fairfield.ca.us/gov/depts/finance/priority_based_budgeting.asp

PBB is attractive to the City because it relies on community input and the work of employees to be successful.

In contrast to past years, decisions on potential funding reductions are expected to occur at the program level rather than at the level of individual budget line items that run across multiple programs. The results of this process are anticipated to enable decision makers to reallocate funding between programs based upon changing needs and priorities.

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.

City of Fairfield Set to Begin Prioritization

City Council set to begin review of future spending

FAIRFIELD - The final decision is 14 months away, but city leaders on Monday will start the process of making budget decisions for 2011 and 2012.

The Fairfield City Council has scheduled the special meeting to launch a 'priority-based budgeting process' -- a new approach it is taking as it prepares for an expected $8 million cut.

'The first step in that process is to help define priorities . . . and objectives for the city,' said David White, assistant to the city manager. 'Why do we come to work every day? What are we trying to do for the community?'

City of Grand Island Drives Budget with Prioritization - Council Commends City Administrator and Finance Director

The Independent > Archives > News > Local > City cuts are forthcoming

"Councilmen Larry Carney and Scott Dugan praised Pederson and Brown for the prioritization process. They called it a logical and understandable method of making some difficult decisions to come."

Prioritization Principles Brought to Life through Walnut Creek, San Jose, and Lakeland - Cover Story of May Government Finance Review

Download Government Finance Review - May 2010 Cover Story:
http://www.yousendit.com/download/OHo3YUlqTSsxUUR2Wmc9PQ

"Priority Driven Budgeting (PDB) 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. PDB is about directing resources to those programs that create the greatest value for the public."

Boulder's Finance Director Reflects on City's Prioritization Process and How it's Helping Them Overcome A Profound Challenge

Boulder Business Community Gets Behind City's Prioritization Initiative

http://bouldertomorrow.com/

Using ROI for City Budgeting: Business Planning Meets Government Spending

How the city is going about this full spectrum analysis of the highest ROI will be discussed by our panel including Jon Johnson and Chris Fabian the consultant hired by the city to help this Priority Based Budgeting process, BRC II and Boulder Tomorrow Board member Jeff Wingert and City of Boulder Finance Director Bob Eichem.

Will your favorite programs make the cut? Come find out how programs will be evaluated and how you can weigh in on this important discussion.

Media, Editorial Board Support Grand Island's Vision in Prioritization

http://theindependent.com/articles/2010/03/25/opinions/editorials/doc4baa30b2857bb578139492.txt

Budget process requires clear priorities, vision

By examining each of the 365 programs that are directed out of City Hall, the administration, mayor and city council are looking under every rock for ways to save taxpayer dollars and keep core services intact. It is a responsible and rational way to control expense growth on programs that may be well intended, but do not significantly support the community in the four core areas.


The upcoming budget sessions promise to be difficult. However the work now being done with the Program Prioritization process promises to be useful to the council, mayor, administration staff and department directors to develop an outcome that does not require painful tax increases.

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.