Local government finance is becoming increasingly intricate, demanding a strong understanding for public administrators. This complexity arises from growing citizen expectations, sluggish revenue growth, and the burden of unfunded pensions. Crafting a budget that balances income and expenditure is more difficult than ever. Managers need to provide services while public trust in government is at a historic low. A budgeting guide for local government 4th edition provides the essential tools to navigate these challenges successfully.
This guide explores the core issues local managers face when developing a budget, including public service and project selection, and revenue source choices. Managers must balance economic optimization, political feasibility, and administrative viability. The book also considers citizens’ perceptions, recognizing their impact on budgetary decisions. Effective leadership requires public administrators to shape and respond to public opinion, building confidence in local government leaders’ responsiveness and competence.
What to Expect from the 4th Edition
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Expanding on Core Themes: Building upon previous editions, this guide emphasizes the budget analyst’s role as a broker, connecting service producers and consumers. This transforms the budgeting process into a commodity exchange for local services. While local governments are adopting more entrepreneurial management methods, this guide clarifies why private sector budgeting processes are often unsuitable for the public sector.
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Embracing Truth-in-Budgeting: The budgeting guide for local government 4th edition promotes creating an organizational culture of credible analysis within the budget office. Effective budgeting links inputs (capital and labor) to outcomes. Understanding this link is crucial for managers tackling budgetary problems.
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Practical Communication Strategies: Learn how to effectively communicate budget information to stakeholders, enhancing local government legitimacy. Fiscal crises, whether from natural disasters or other causes, affect budgets differently based on severity and duration. This guide provides strategies for managing these events.
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Crisis Response and Mitigation: The book provides specific strategies for addressing and mitigating potential crises. Balancing local budgets hinges on securing adequate revenue to fund essential community services. The guide offers a detailed exploration of revenue policy and administration.
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Property Tax Exemption Impacts: The impact of property tax exemptions on local budgets and corresponding compensation strategies are evaluated. It also contains an updated assessment of general and excise sales taxes and the limitations of local income taxes. User fees present a positive trend for local revenue generation.
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Pricing Strategy Typology: The budgeting guide for local government 4th edition introduces a typology of pricing strategies, offering managers a clear understanding of the trade-offs involved in designing a price structure.
About the Authors
Robert L. (Bob) Bland is a professor of public administration at the University of North Texas. He teaches public finance, governmental accounting, and budgeting. He has also written “A Revenue Guide for Local Government” and numerous articles on municipal bonds, property taxation, and municipal budgeting.
He has received the Terrell Blodgett Academician Award from the Texas City Management Association and ICMA’s Stephen B. Sweeney Academic Award. Professor Bland is a fellow in the National Academy of Public Administration.
Michael R. Overton is an assistant professor of public administration at the University of Idaho. His research is focused on local government management and fiscal policy. He has been funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, SMART Transit, and the North Central Texas Council of Governments. He received the University of North Texas’s Toulouse Dissertation Award in Social Science and was selected for the Emerging Scholars Award by the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy and as a Founders Fellow by the American Society of Public Administration.
This budgeting guide for local government 4th edition offers crucial insights and strategies for navigating the complex fiscal landscape of local government. It provides practical guidance for managers striving to balance economic realities, political demands, and administrative capabilities. It’s an indispensable resource for building public trust and ensuring the financial health of local communities.
