Evaluating budget documents and their effectiveness

¶ … budget document you selected.

The organization that was selected is the city of Los Angeles, California. This is because the government has been facing challenges from the lingering effects of the recession and there is a projected budget deficit of $1 billion for the 2013 to 2014 period. The documented that was selected is the Mayor's 2012 to 2013 Budget Proposal. This will provide specific insights, as to how officials are addressing these challenges and their long-term impact on various programs. ("2012 -- 2103 Budget Proposal," 2012)

Identify the specific type of budget document you selected.

The basic type of budgeting that is utilized is the zero based approach. This is when there is a focus on using the events and budget from the previous year to make determinations about the current situation. When this happens, the budget is adjusted upward or downward to address these realities and provide a certain amount of services to constituents. The mayor's budget is following this basic approach by evaluating what occurred in the last year and adjusting to potential challenges. ("Zero-Based Budgeting," 2012)

Evaluate the budget document using GFOA criteria.

GFOA standards require that a number of different elements must be included with all financial information provided by governments. The most notable include: a table of contents, strategies / goals, short-term organizational factors, priority issues, a budget overview, fund descriptions / structure, the basis of the budgeting, financial policies, three to four-year financial schedules, revenues, long-term financial plans, the impact of capital improvement, expenditures, debt, department descriptions and performance measures. These areas are designed to provide greater amounts of transparency and further explanation as to how the government's funds are being utilized. ("Awards Criteria," 2012)

In the case of Los Angeles, there are a number of pieces that are missing inside the budget document to include: strategies / goals, priority issues, fund descriptions / structure, the basis of the budgeting, financial policies, three to four-year financial schedules, department descriptions and performance measures. The combination of these elements reduces the disclosure of information and the overall amounts of transparency. As a result, the city needs to incorporate these factors into the document to offer more explanations to stakeholders. ("2012 -- 2103 Budget Proposal," 2012)

Explain whether or not the budget document serves the constituents and other stakeholders of the organization.

The budget is partially serving the interests of constituents and stakeholders. This is because it does provide information about: the current financial challenges impacting the government, how they are addressing these problems and their longer term objectives. These areas are offering a certain amount of clarity in the budgeting process. ("2012 -- 2103 Budget Proposal," 2012)