Description
Question (CXU9a) (Separate Paper) Due April 20th 2018
Write a 6- to 8-page paper (not including title page and reference page) that addresses the following:
Expenditure Drivers: Identify the 3 departments which get the most general fund resources. What inputs to the production process are the primary drivers of the budget? In other words, what expenditure categories are most important in the total spending by each of the departments? Assess if the expenditures support the stated mission of the government and the needs of the community. (2 pages).
Recommendations for Reducing Expenditures: Consider how the city or county selected should adjust expenditures if faced with a revenue shortfall. If the government was faced with a 2% reduction in general fund resources in the next fiscal year, what would the dollar amount of the needed expenditure reductions be assuming there was no other offsetting revenue? Based on your review of the budget, what are 3 specific expenditure reductions you would recommend to close at least half of this shortfall? In your recommendation, describe what considerations you used in making these recommendations. They could include strategies from the Mikesell text or academic literature about how other governments prioritize expenditures. (2 – 2 ½ pages)
Recommendations for Funding New Needs: Find a documented unmet need in your city or county that would be appropriate for the local government to address. This documentation can come from government documents or local news media. Justify why the city or county government should provide funding to address this need. As part of your analysis, provide the community benefits of funding such a need as well as specific recommendation on how the need should be funded. This can be through reduction in other expenditures, increases in revenue sources, or a combination of both. (2 pages)
Conclusion: In your conclusion, assess the challenge of determining how to best allocate expenditures to serve the needs of the community given limited resources.
Resources for CXU9A:
Mikesell, J. L. (2014). Fiscal administration: Analysis and applications for the public sector (9th ed.). Boston, MA: Wadsworth.
- Chapter 4, "State and Local Budgets" (pp. 152–173)
- Chapter 5, "Budget Methods and Practices" (pp. 178-218)
Question (CXU10a) (Separate Paper) Due April 20th 2018
Write a brief description of a major capital investment, e.g., property, buildings, building additions, equipment, software, or technology that will last more than a year, that you might recommend for the public organization. Discuss how the use of cost benefit analysis could be use to determine if this investement is a financially sound one for the organization. Then, analyze its potential pay-offs and risks, and explain how the organization might mitigate those risks.
Question (CXU10b) (Separate Paper) Due April 20th 2018
Select a public organization (federal, state, or local) with which you are familiar. This may be an organization for which you currently work or have worked, know about from others, or have learned about through academic resources and/or the media, as long as it is not a non-profit organization or a private for-profit organization.
Write about the following:
Mission and goals of the organization
Ethical considerations related to finance and budgeting within the organization
Technological considerations for improving the efficiency or effectiveness of finance and budgeting within the organization
Applicable laws, regulations, and policies impacting the organization's financial and budgetary operations
Evaluation of the organization's budget process and revenue sources
Internal factors impacting successful strategic financial planning
The organization's usage of cost-benefit analysis
Evaluation of the organization’s annual financial report
Assessment of the organization's overall financial condition
This write up must demonstrate both breadth and depth of knowledge and critical thinking appropriate to graduate-level scholarship.
Resources for CXU10A&B:
Mikesell, J. L. (2014). Fiscal administration: Analysis and applications for the public sector (9th ed.). Boston, MA: Wadsworth.
- Chapter 7, "Capital Budgeting, Time Value of Money, and Cost-Benefit Analysis: Process, Structure, and Basic Tools" (pp. 299–337)
- Chapter 15, "Debt Administration" (pp. 634–675)
Question (CXU11a) (Separate Paper) Due April 20th 2018
Write an explanation of the financial benefits and limitations of global partnerships. Provide specific evidence of one positive or one negative impact of globalization on a government organization.
Question (CXU11b) (Separate Paper) Due April 20th 2018
Write a reflection on the insights you gained in this course. Then, explain how you, as a present or future professional in public administration, plan to effect social change.
Resources for CXU11A&B:
Mikesell, J. L. (2014). Fiscal administration: Analysis and applications for the public sector (9th ed.). Boston, MA: Wadsworth.
- Chapter 2, "The Logic of the Budget Process" (pp. 38–83)
St. John, E. P. (2013). Social justice & globalization. Harvard International Review, 35(1), 45–49.
Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.
Yale Center for the Study of Globalization. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.ycsg.yale.edu
Explanation & Answer
Attached.
Attached.
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Running head: CITY OF DENVER’S BUDGET
City of Denver’s Budget
Institution Affiliation
Date
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CITY OF DENVER’S BUDGET
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Introduction
The City of Denver is the capital city of the state of Colorado. The city is also the most
populous urban settlement in the entire state. The City of Denver is situated in the County of
Denver. It was founded in the year 1858 and has developed greatly over the years. The city’s
governing body is the Denver City Council, and the current mayor is Michael Hancock (City and
County of Denver, 2017). The city releases an annual budget that specifies the expenditures and
how the expenditures will be financed. The general fund usually consists around 50 percent of
the city’s budget (City and County of Denver, 2017). The general fund's resources come from tax
and sales.
Expenditure Drivers
The city’s general fund is allocated to many different departments and functions.
Different departments are allocated different amounts depending on their importance, size, and
other priorities. Three departments that took up most of the city’s general fund resources in the
2018 financial year are the safety department, public works department, and transfers department
respectively. The percentage of general funds resources that go to the safety department is 39
percent (City and County of Denver, 2017). Public works department was allocated 10 percent of
the budget while Transfers department received 9 percent of the general fund's resources (City
and County of Denver, 2017).
The functions of the safety department are extremely important for the safety of the city’s
residents and their property. The funds allocated to the department cover safety programs, safety,
management, police administration and operations, fire department’s administration and
operations, Sheriff’s operations and administration, and emergency communications. The
CITY OF DENVER’S BUDGET
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extreme importance of the services that the units under the department offer explains why it
received 39 percent of the general fund's resources. In dollar terms, the department was allocated
$ 539,966,502 (City and County of Denver, 2017). The expenditure categories that are most
important in the safety department are police department operations, Sheriff Department
operations, and fire department operations. The funds allocated to each of the sub-departments
was $ 200,553,231, $ 121,172,674, and $ 113,296,187 respectively (City and County of Denver,
2017).
The public works department also plays a key role in the city. Some of the functions that
are under the public works department are transportation and mobility, solid waste disposal, fleet
management, street lighting, and street lighting. The funds allocated to the department will be
used to fund the listed functions and other activities such as planning and administration. The 10
percent of the general fund's resources allocated to the department translates to $ 137,189,459.
The expenditure categories that are most important in the public works department are solid
waste management, Right-of-Way Services, transportation and mobility, and street maintenance.
They were allocated $ 24,082,301, $ 23,345,153, $ 21,795,770, and $ 19,531,202 respectively
(City and County of Denver, 2017).
Transfers department’s operations consist the transfer of funds to different entities and
functions. The department usually transfers funds to the general government and functions such
as crime prevention and control. The transfer of funds is very key to the operations of the city.
This is because it helps ensure that the money needed to perform different activities is availed.
The 9 percent of the general fund's resources allocated to the department translate to $
128,471,808. The expenditure categories that are most important in the transfers department are
the Capital Improvement Projects Fund and Fleet Replacement SRF. The amounts transferred to
CITY OF DENVER’S BUDGET
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the two categories are $ 35,341,850 and $ 28,283,886 respectively (City and County of Denver,
2017).
The expenditure allocated to the three major departments strongly supports the mission of
the city’s governing body and the needs of the community. The governing council aims at
keeping the city safe to create a good living and business environment. The community too is
very much interested in safety. The fund allocated to the safety department helps keep the city
safe from crime, accidents, and disasters. Public works funds also help maintain and improve the
city while transfers department helps ensure that funds are transferred to various entities or
programs that require them.
Recommendations for Reducing Expenditures
One challenge with budgeting is that funds allocated to a specific department or task are
not usually readily available. The City of Denver hopes to raise a lot of the finances that will be
used to fund the budget using taxes, sales in many other ways. At times, the revenue raised may
not be enough to finance the budget. ...
