| 2010 Operating Budget & Business Planning Guidelines |
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6. Strict Process to Evaluate Funding Requests
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Under the above guidelines, departments are only permitted to include very specific predetermined increases in their budget. To the extent a department requires additional resources, a separate business case must be submitted detailing strategic links, costs & benefits, implications & consequences, success indicators, timelines, etc. These are referred to as Additional Resource Requests (ARR) and will be individually vetted, based on their respective merits, through the Senior Management Team, Budget Committee, and Council. Council approval is specifically required for new staff resources, a change in service levels, or new initiatives. Requests are limited to items in excess of $10,000 or having a net neutral or positive impact. Only requests approved by Council will be included in the 2010 budget.
The process will separate the Operating Budget into the following two classifications:
- Base Budget – Budget based on approved guidelines – Minimal tax increase.
- Additional Resource Requests – Essential funding requests not permitted through the guidelines requiring Council review and approval.
The objective of the base budget combined with the additional resource requests is to identify the minimum resources that are required to maintain the City’s service levels.
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