Norfolk Budget Exercise, Term Paper Example

Part 1: Budget Message

The Norfolk budget was proposed for the fiscal year 2014.  The goal of this plan was to ensure that the budget would be well-managed in the following year that would lead to the provision of necessary services for local residents. In particular, the budget will focus on supporting the Veterans Initiatives, Flood Mitigation, and Neighbors Building Neighborhoods programs, as these initiatives are providing helpful, effective, and creative solutions to the community. Furthermore, Norfolk planned to develop its economy by supporting lifelong learning initiatives and economic vitality and workforce development. This demonstrates that the government is not only concerned with the current workforce, but also the future workforce. Investing in education will allow for a stronger, more sustainable workforce in the future.

The total approved budget is worth $1,217,963,664, which will be appropriated between the general fund, enterprise funds, special revenue funds, the internal service fund, the health care fund, the capital improvement plan, and the annual plan for HUD block grants. The city plans to not only use the money it has amounted for the benefit of the public, but also to use these funds to generate greater revenue to improve the status of the community in the future.

Several operating adjustments were made to support budget goals. Resource Adjustments and Redistributions constitute real estate revenue, performance grant savings, health care savings, NPS carryforward, and reduce commissioner of revenue. Expenditure Adjustments and Redistributions include a salary increase at the beginning of the fiscal year, NPS city support, NPS carryforward, an infrastructure and technology program update, boards and commission expenses, and a transfer of funds to the capital improvement plan. Capital Adjustments included a existing project in the government plaza, reducing the acquisition of property and infrastructure, transferring funds from the operating budget, transferring from public amenities, and transferring from the land acquisition and revolving fund. The Expenditure Adjustments and Redistributions were used to make a variety of local improvements, including enhancing walkways, support buildings, and various neighborhoods.

Part 2: Budget Overview Section

The budget overview provided information about the individuals that drafted the budget in addition to those that contributed to this document. Furthermore, it provided a comprehensive list of the city council members and the city manager that provided their input into this document, which gives readers a greater understanding of who their representative is by providing a map of Norfolk listing the accommodating ward of each politician. These individuals stated that the goal they were aiming to achieve in this budget plan was to improve the quality of life for all citizens of Norfolk. Major initiatives therefore include increasing the safety of the area and creating a sense of community. Specific goals of the budget include increasing accessibility, enhancing economic vitality and workforce development, promoting environmental sustainability, establishing lifelong learning in addition to healthy and inclusive communities, and ensuring a well-managed government.

The budget is organized in a manner that will allow the common reader with no understanding of the political organization of the area to quickly identify the background needed to understand the budget. As a consequence, a hierarchy of status is provided in the document as well so that these individuals can develop a better understanding of the chain of command. Furthermore, readers a provided with a brief readers guide summarizes the information presented in a manner that makes this information accessible to all individuals. This section concludes with a glossary of terms that define the operating budget, general fund balance reserves, surpluses, debt management, and more so that individuals who are not familiar with these financial phrases could understand the document in the same manner that a professional could.

As a whole, the local government’s 2014 expenditures increased due to a 2.2% increase in taxes across the board. Some taxes, such as those on permits and fees and federal aid were reduced, while other types of taxes, such as general property taxes and use of money and property increased. Ultimately, this effort increased revenue.

Part 3: Detailed Budget Section

The 16 departments within the General Management, Community Development, Parks, Recreation and Culture, Public Health and Assistance, Public Safety, and Public Works were appropriated different levels of funds. It appears that most of these funds were appropriated to public safety, wish is consistent with the goals established in the earlier sections of the budget. A total of $106,203,040 was allotted for this purpose. Meanwhile, $42,983,976 was appropriated to public works, indicating that less emphasis was placed on neighborhood restoration, although this was still a goal of the local politicians. Furthermore, a total of $75,929,113 was put towards debt service and a total of $311,957,882 was spent on education. As a whole, these expenditures represent the total general fund.

Works Cited

Norfolk. Approved Fiscal Year 2014 Budget. 2013. Web. 25 April 2015.