Galveston TX budget - Essay Example

The budget aims to balance the preference of the community with the reality that sacrifices must be made in order to align the spending of the county’s resources and services. In the employment sector, the county strives to minimize retrenchment by aiming to use early retirement and voluntary distinction of rewards to reduce working staff and align working employees into vacant positions. To achieve this objective, the county is aiming at reducing services and programs and applying general capital or funds reserves in proposition funds.

The recommended budget is designed in that it aims to restore structural balance of the following financial year, which is 2012/2013. That implies that the county will spend its means with borrowing from reserves. Policy makers warned that if the county showed some weakness on the way and did not stay on track, then it would continue relying on reserves and at one point in time, it would run short of reserves. To aid close the gap between revenues and expenditures, the county has over time made tremendous development and progress (Hayes 51).

Galveston County has: i. Reduced layoffs by eliminating vacant positions ii. Designed new service mechanism that have consolidated departments iii. It has partnered with private and public sectors to enhance safety and other services to operate well iv. It has reduced labor costs by partnering with labor organizations v. It has created various cost savings programs that will see reduction in operation cost while guarding other services, enhanced management and cut down on oil and hotel services.

The main incremental approach to the development of Galveston budget is based on the financial difficulties posed by the financial crisis. The budget planners in the city of Galveston consider the revenue growth because increase in revenues can be distributed to the all programs and departments with little controversy. There is possibility of acrimony, though, when distributing revenue decrements during times of revenue decline (Finnkelstein 17). There are several perspectives that the policy makers need to consider when planning for the budget, for instance, by what methods will resources be distributed too services?

How and where will the politicians, public, and citizens engaged during the process? Before budgeting, jurisdiction plays a critical role in that it states how the city should invest resources to meet its laid down goals and objectives. Priority assist in articulating why its plans and programs exist, what value and benefit they offer to citizen, what price the inhabitant pay for them, and what goals and citizens preferences they are settling (Finnkelstein 41). Galveston County in Texas has major six priorities, which are expressed as citizen statements: i.

Well organized, planned, and developed communities within the county. The policy makers proposed that it was significant to strategize and plan infrastructure in order to maintain quality life of its citizens. ii. Economic vitality in that Galveston County wants to have more industries that will enhance and promote a healthy and sustainable economy that does not burden its citizens. iii. Self-sufficient people and families for the Galveston citizens whereby the community provides variety of opportunities for its citizens to be self-productive and sufficient.