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FY 2016 Budget Critique
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Each year following completion of the budget, commissioners give staff feedback on how the process and document could be improved.
Last year commissioners did not give staff any areas for improvement of the process or document.
Commissioners adopted the attached calendar for preparation of the FY 2015-2016 budget. In addition to the dates shown on the calendar, staff met one-on-one with commissioners to review the recommended budget immediately prior to submission.
At their budget retreat Commissioners set goals that guided development of the FY 2015-2016 budget. They developed the overarching vision that Chatham County is a thriving community with healthy people, a safe environment, and prosperity for all, as shown in the budget document (see Budget message, page 3). The goal setting process included a survey prior to the retreat that identified existing goals and asked for feedback to determine which existing goals had unanimous agreement, which goals commissioners wanted to revisit, and proposals for new goals. From a staff perspective, this process worked well in that it allowed us to produce a draft set of goals that could be modified during the retreat. If this process is not effective from the board's perspective, you may want to consider a facilitator for the goal-setting portion of the retreat.
Discussion and Analysis:
Staff requests feedback on:
Budget Retreat
* Was the goal-setting process helpful and should it be repeated or modified?
* Information distributed for consideration during the retreat is attached. Is there additional information that would make the next retreat more effective? Is there any information that is not necessary?
* Is the Heads Up document (attached) produced before the retreat effective in informing Commissioner priorities? Could this document be improved?
Document
* Are the Recommended Budget and CIP documents effective for board decision making?
* Are the department ...
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