Field/term paper assignment: The goal of this paper is to provide a practical exercise that gives you the experience of identifying and defining the principles and strategies associated with developing, implementing, and reporting a public agency’s budget. The paper should have three clear sections/parts (see below). Select a local government (The City of Miami Gardens, Florida), and prepare ananalysis of its budgeting procedures using the guidelines below. Class material should be integrated into your paper.
The paper should be 6-10 pages (not including bibliography and appendix) written analysis, must be in APA format, word doc, and should be double-spaced with 12-point font and Times New Roman Script. Full citation is expected, according to APA.
INSTRUCTIONS AND HELPFUL TIPS
1. The information for this paper will come from reviewing the budget documentation that you collect from interviews with key participants, text, and other academic publications.
2. For larger organizations, you may want to focus on one or two departments. This paper will focus on Capital Projects and Finance.
3. You should obtain a copy of the budget manual, current operating budget, and annual financial report of a unit of government or nonprofit agency by the third week of the term. https://www.miamigardens-fl.gov/DocumentCenter/View/7551/FY-2024-Adopted-Annual-Budget-Book
4. Support all information with academically qualified references in APA 6thEdition.
5. The paper should be typed, double-spaced, 1-inch margins, and be 10-12 pages in length.
6. Full citation is expected. (Wikipedia is not an academic source.)
7. Cite all references using the APA citation style.
8. Papers are evaluated using the learning goals, and the student’s ability to synthesize the material and provide a critical analysis of the issues.
9. This paper should reflect college-level work in content, appearance, organization, grammar, and effort.
10. Students will upload the paper to Canvas for grading.
11. Expectations:
12. The premise, supporting arguments, and conclusions are logically presented and analyzed systematically.
13. Demonstrate good command of Social Science vocabulary.
14. Verbal precision is superior (grammar, and English Composition).
15. Identify the top 10 things this organization can/should do to improve its budget process and document.
16. If it lacks adequate IT capacity, consider the costs and benefits of an upgrade.
17. If performance measures are poorly integrated into the decision process, you should offer realistic recommendations
Below are the three sections/parts to be included in your paper:
PART I. THE BUDGET PROCESS
1. Discuss in detail the process for preparing and approving your organization’s budget.
a. When and who prepares revenue forecasts?
b. Do they have budget policies?
c. How do they integrate their policy priorities into budget decisions?
d. If they have them, how often are budget policies reviewed?
e. Where is the budget office/function located?
f. What are the qualifications of the staff working in the budget office?
g. Evaluate the budget guidelines. Are they available online?
h. What seems to be the guiding philosophy/style of the chief executive? (Participatory, limited debate, arbiter)
i. What kinds of conflicts appear to permeate the budget process?
j. How well does the organization manage conflict related to the budget process?
k. What is the role of the legislative body/governing board?
l. What kind of software capabilities supports the budget function?
m. What is the general satisfaction with the software?
n. How are citizens/stakeholders involved in the budget process? Is their input used effectively?
PART II. THE BUDGET DOCUMENT
Remember as you write that the points in this section are strictly related to the budget document and all related documents like department head worksheets and other materials and/or software.
1. Discuss in detail the documents i.e., worksheets and other documents used in making budget decisions.
a. What kind of budget is prepared?
b. What evidence exists of the innovations in documents introduced overtime?
c. Does the information prepared by department heads on their worksheets etc… appear to be effectively used in budget deliberations?
d. Do department heads regard the process as fair to them?
e. Discuss the performance measures used in the budget process.
f. Are performance measures used effectively to evaluate budget priorities?
g. What recommendations would you offer to improve budget deliberations?
PART III. OVERALL RECOMMENDATIONS
Remember that the points in this section are your opinion based on your research and what you have learned from this course.
The following are used as references:
Documents & forms. Documents & Forms | Miami Gardens, FL. (n.d.). https://www.miamigardens-fl.gov/201/Documents-Forms . https://www.miamigardens-fl.gov/DocumentCenter/View/7551/FY-2024-Adopted-Annual-Budget-Book
Musell, R., & Yeung, R. (2019). Understanding Government Budgets: A Guide to Practices in the Public Service 2nd Edition, Kindle Edition
I have attached what I began to do.
