The Politics of South County Budgeting: Problems

NB: We do not resell your papers. Upon ordering, we do an original paper exclusively for you.

NB: All your data is kept safe from the public.

Table of Contents

The first problem
The second problem
The third problem
The fourth problem
The fifth problem
Works Cited

South County, which has a population of almost 270, 000 people, is a non-charter county whose operating laws have never been modified since its statehood. Although this county has enjoyed robust financial conditions, it has never changed. This County has it that, for any opinion to be accepted, it has to get the support of at least four of its seven members. Mike Ketchem, the OMB south county director, has been relied upon much by the county since owing to his accounting proficiency, it claims that he can rescue it from its financial crisis that has led to its budget fall. The county is experiencing several problems as illustrated next.

The first problem

South County relies much on business but following the evident building limitations, it cannot attract business anymore. This turns out to be the major problem that the county is experiencing. It has also been experiencing a revenue shortage for the last five years. In addition, the General Fund Contingency of the county, which harbors its money, has almost nothing in store for the County. This then makes it unable to cater to its emergency needs. It is worth noting that the corresponding root causes of these problems emerge from within the county. For instance, the County’s step of restraining the kind of developmental industries, worthy of erecting within it turns to be the main barrier towards the County’s capability to attract more businesses.

Although the County’s plan in taking the step was to help protect its natural ecosystems, the arising limitations of buildings have barred the County from drawing more business firms. According to Taffe, “To fund unplanned and unbudgeted projects approved by the board, the General Contingency Funds have been tapped…” (74) This impulse expenditure gives the main cause of the significant loss of the reserve funds reported by the county. To ensure that this does not happen in the future, the county needs to adopt “programs like the creation of special tax districts such as Municipal Services Taxing Units (MSTUs)” (Taffe 74). As Ketchem’s assistant, I have received a command from him demanding me to come up with a plan, to be presented before the County, addressing the budget problem as well as including some advice on an approach that will enable the approval of the plan. However, there arise some problems during the plan development.

The second problem

The issue of politics stands out as a major problem. This follows from the voting history of the County board members. Out of the seven members, I should make sure that at least four of them support my plan; otherwise, it will be subject to rejection. Another problem is that of coming up with the relevant strategies that accommodate all the prevailing problems and that can register a significant change once implemented. A strategy addressing the issue of corruption among the members must be put across. This on the other hand becomes a problem, not only for me but also for the corrupt board members. This is so because, on one hand, I will be saving the county of its funds that end up disappearing in the hands of ones, who claim to be their accountants. On the other hand, I will be exposing myself to conflicts with them by addressing the issue. Moreover, Ketchem’s possibility of retaining his job is also dependent on the quality of the plan, and therefore, balancing this condition of making sure that he is not fired and at the same time, making it acceptable is no more than a problem.

The third problem

There exist quite a several options that can be employed in arresting the budget dilemma in this County. Among these are the MSTUs, raising the mileage rates, and raising the sales taxes. It is worth noting that though all are working, not all can fully tackle the pronounced budget problem. Of the three, I would prefer to raise the sales taxes option for my plan. MSTUs is not efficient because it is subject to rejection, which has been the case. “The commission has always seen MSTUs as a tax, and thus it is worried that voters would not accept its adoption, except if the funds were to go for something the public wanted” (Taffe 74). On the other hand, raising the mileage rates will not be effective as well. This is because the main agenda of the plan is to help recover the funds that have disappeared in the hands of the corrupt people. Since not all people drive, any attempt to raise the mileage rate will not give back a good amount.

The fourth problem

In developing the plan, I would also employ some data from OMB. Since Ketchem has six-year-old experience in the accounting and budgeting sector, I would require the County’s budget records over that time. This will enable me to tell the trend that budgeting has been adopting, which in turn will help me tell when and why such a trend was realized. This data will therefore enable me to develop a strategy that takes care of funds utilization and specifically at such times when significant trend patterns are realized. To gain, both political and public support, for my plan, there are a few things; I need to take into account.

The fifth problem

I need to involve the public in a campaign against funds misuse, providing teachings on the need for a change of our County and the change can be realized through good budgetary plans. I need to reveal to them the strategies that ought to be put in place and how they are capable of bringing the long-awaited change in South County. This involvement will give me both political and public support.

Works Cited

Taffe, Clinton. The Politics of County Budgeting: Piecing Together the Budget Puzzle. San Fransisco: Jossey Bass, 1998.

Click Here To Order Now!

The Politics of South County Budgeting: Problems

Do you need this or any other assignment done for you from scratch?

We have qualified writers to help you.

We assure you a quality paper that is 100% free from plagiarism and AI.

You can choose either format of your choice ( Apa, Mla, Havard, Chicago, or any other)