HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem B: Budget Service Realignment
ECC
UGENE ITY OUNCIL
AIS
GENDA TEM UMMARY
Work Session: FY09 Service and Budget Alignment Process
Meeting Date: October 31, 2007 Agenda Item Number: B
Department: Central Services Staff Contact: Kitty Murdoch
www.eugene-or.gov Contact Telephone Number: 682-5860
ISSUE STATEMENT
Shall the existing vision statements of the Eugene City Council be the basis for aligning city services in
the FY09 Proposed Budget?
BACKGROUND
Last spring, the Budget Committee and the City Council approved an allocation of $100,000 in the
FY09 budget to undertake an internal review of General Fund services in order to build a sustainable
General Fund budget by FY11. Over the summer, staff initiated a Request for Qualifications and
selected a consultant, Public Strategies Group, to advise City of Eugene staff in new and effective
approaches for allocating resources so the City delivers the services citizens most want and are willing
to support.
In brief, the process involves cross-departmental staff teams developing cause and effect maps around
each vision statement that describe the factors that most influence each vision statement. Departments
will be asked to develop service strategies and outcome measures that address the factors identified on
the maps. For the most part, the roles of the City Council, Budget Committee, and other interested
groups remain the same during this process. Key changes occur in the procedures used by staff to build
the budget. The Budget Committee and City Council are being asked to provide the public voice in the
initial phase of the project and will have an opportunity to provide input into the maps. As in the past,
public comment will be included in the spring review of the proposed budget. An evaluation of the
process, including the City Council, Budget Committee, staff and other stakeholders will be conducted
at the end of the process to determine whether the new approach should be expanded in FY10 to include
additional public input into the vision/goal descriptions and service mapping.
Staff seeks the council’s guidance early in the budget process to ensure that the council’s vision
statements will not change markedly during the current year, so that the budget will align services
appropriately. Staff also is alerting the council to the new process and the potential changes in the
format of the service budget section of the budget document. The discussion of the FY09 budget
process was originally brought before the City Council on October 17, 2007. Several councilors
expressed concerns about the consultant and the process to be employed and tabled the discussion until
after key stakeholders could be consulted and more information about the process could be obtained.
On Monday, October 22, 2007, the City Manager pro tem Angel Jones and Budget Manager Kitty
Murdoch met with representatives from employee labor organizations to discuss the project with them
F:\CMO\2007 Council Agendas\M071031\S071031B.doc
and to listen to their concerns and suggestions. On Tuesday evening, October 23, 2007, Ms. Jones and
Ms. Murdoch met with the Neighborhood Leaders Council to outline the budget process and to answer
their questions. The consultant is also providing opportunities for councilors to discuss the project and
any concerns with her directly prior to the October 31, 2007, work session.
The Budget Committee reviewed the plan for building the FY09 budget on October 15, 2007.
RELATED CITY POLICIES
The budget will more clearly support policy A.1. of the Financial Management Policies: “The City
budget will support City Council goals and policies, Council adopted long-range plans and service needs
of the community.” The budget will continue to be prepared in accordance with Oregon Budget Law.
COUNCIL OPTIONS
The council may:
1)Keep the current vision statements;
2)Alter the vision statements;
3)Propose other changes to the process
CITY MANAGER’S RECOMMENDATION
The City Manager pro tem and the Executive Management Team have met several times over the
summer to discuss the shape and direction of the project. The City Manager recommends the limited
Budgeting for Outcomes budget process in FY09 as described in Attachment A and in the presentation
from the consultant to the Budget Committee on Monday evening, October 15, and discussed with the
City Council on October 17, 2007. Furthermore, if the project is successful, the City Manager pro tem
recommends that the FY10 Budget be developed using a full Budgeting for Outcomes process that will
involve additional public input (community forums, focus groups, surveys, etc.) into the goals and the
service strategies selected to achieve those goals.
SUGGESTED MOTION
Move to endorse using the City Council’s five vision statements as the foundation for aligning services
and allocating resources in the FY09 Proposed Budget.
ATTACHMENTS
A. City Council Vision Statements
B. Budget Review Process Table
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Staff Contact: Kitty Murdoch
Telephone: 682-5860
Staff E-Mail: kitty.m.murdoch@ci.eugene.or.us
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City Council Goals
ATTACHMENTA
SAFE COMMUNITY
A community where people feel safe, valued, and welcome.
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
A community that meets its present environmental, economic, and social needs without
compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
ACCESSIBLE AND THRIVING CULTURE AND RECREATION
A community that recognizes that the arts and outdoors are integral to the social and
economic well-being of the community and should be available to all.
EFFECTIVE, ACCOUNTABLE MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT
A government that works openly, collaboratively, and fairly with the community to
achieve measurable and positive outcomes.
FAIR, STABLE AND ADEQUATE FINANCIAL RESOURCES
A government whose ongoing financial resources are based on a fair and equitable
system of revenues and are adequate to maintain and deliver municipal services.
ATTACHMENT B
City of Eugene Budget Review Process
Who Current Process Proposed Process
Budget Committee Fall: Overview of new process for
developing the budget around the
Council Goals; Review Goal Cause &
Effect Maps that will identify the
factors & service strategies that have
the most impact on the goals
Budget Committee Fall/Winter: Citizen members Fall/Winter: Citizen members update
update service profiles service profiles
Budget Committee Fall/Winter: Review Emerging Fall/Winter: Review Emerging Fund
&/or City Council Fund or Service Issues as needed or Service Issues as needed
Budget Committee Winter: Review General Fund Six-Winter: Review General Fund Six-
Year Financial Forecast and strategy Year Financial Forecast
for balancing the budget
Budget Committee Winter: Review Multi-Year Winter: Review Multi-Year
Financial Plan Financial Plan
City Manager Spring: Presents budget Spring: Presents budget
Departments Spring: Present changes to current Spring: Present service strategies and
service level outcome measures to achieve goals
Budget Committee Spring: Review changes to current Spring: Review service strategies and
service level; recommend additional measures; recommend changes to
changes to service levels strategies and measures
City Council Spring: Review Budget Committee Spring: Review Budget Committee
recommendations; make changes to recommendations; make changes to
service levels; adopt budget by June service strategies &/or measures;
30 adopt budget by June 30