Financial Planning for Drug Abuse Prevention in Virginia Estates

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Funding Sources/Public Revenues
Contingency Funding Plan
Net Cost/Contribution
Conclusion
References

Introduction

To implement a program successfully, a detailed, clear budgeting plan is needed. The plan needs to provide information on viable sources, explain what public sources were chosen for the funding, and what plan will be used in case of crisis or unsuccessful/insufficient funding. Moreover, the plan needs to take into account the specifics of the local government, and how it might review the program, accept it as necessary, or decline it. This financial plan was written for the program proposal on decreasing drug abuse in parolees and probationers in Virginia Estates, Montgomery, AL.

Funding Sources/Public Revenues

To implement the program, funding sources need to be identified and analyzed. There are several different revenue sources for local governments, including intergovernmental taxes, own-source revenue, and sources that change (What are the sources of revenue for local governments? 2013). The funding source that can be regarded as suitable for the implemented program is Montgomery County Commission, since, as stated on their website, the Commission controls all public funds of the country.

The Country Administration Office can also be contacted, although it is connected to the Montgomery County Commission, so it is most likely that the Commission’s and Office’s decisions will be similar, if not the same.

Another potential funding source that can be interested in the proposed program is the Alabama Department of Corrections that is located in Montgomery. The program can bring the profit to the Department if drug abuse and crimes, committed by probationers, will decrease. Less money will be invested into the correction programs, and the police department of Montgomery will experience less workload if the probationers are motivated to stay drug-free for a longer period.

Therefore, the first preferred sources for the program are the County Commission and the Alabama Department of Corrections. To fund the program, revenue redistribution can be regarded as a suitable tool. The current correction program in Montgomery that is focused on substance abusers (i.e. drugs, alcohol) is an Intervention Program for Substance Abusers. Its main disadvantages include scheduled testing and sentencing options for drug users who have mild to moderate drug or other substance issues.

The proposed program targets any use of drugs, even the first one after prolonged abstinence. Moreover, all probationers that were caught using drugs are sentenced to a short jail stay. The proposed program provides a more modern approach to the problem, but it targets only the probationers and parolees and not all substance abusers. This might also cause difficulties in implementing the program because the stakeholders that will be interested in it are those who work with the probationers and in the Corrections Department. Nevertheless, the Intervention Program for Substance Abusers mostly targets civilians who do not have any prison sentences.

Revenue redistribution, controlled by the County Commission, will allow to establish non-scheduled testing for all participants, provide short lectures on drug abuse, and, if needed, sponsor the judges’ and police officers’ work during the arrest of the probationer for documented drug abuse. The revenues needed for the program are intergovernmental transfers (i.e. those who come from county governments and municipalities). Although the program may require serious investment at first, it will later reduce the crime rate in the neighborhood, decrease insurance cost and Montgomery police department’s and Montgomery Municipal court’s expenditures on detention, trial, and legal investigation of the cases.

The program can be financed by the Montgomery County Commission in the short term and Alabama Department of Corrections (ADC) in the long term. While funding from the county will not require a big amount of funds at first because the program will not be implemented on a full scale, long-term funding from the ADC will allow it to operate for several years and provide the data to evaluate the outcomes.

Contingency Funding Plan

The public revenues chosen for this financial plan are the non-tax revenues: administrative revenues and grants. Administrative revenues can be summoned in the form of fees and penalties (e.g. fees and penalties ADC charges), while there are several grants represented in the Alabama state (but only one grant is suitable for the program because it targets Montgomery County). As it is also important to raise public awareness of the program and show how this program can help the community, the members of Virginia Estates community who suffer from high crime rates due to poverty need to be informed that this program will reduce drug abuse in the community and increase the well-being of the members, although not significantly, but still notably (Clear, Reisig, & Cole, 2012).

However, both of the funding sources can label the program as not needed since there is one that addresses a similar issue (Intervention Program for Substance Abusers). Moreover, a new program can be suggested during the implementation of this one, so the funds can be cut. In this case, the Central Alabama Community Foundation will be contacted to review the program. Although this type of funding will be short term at first, if the program is proven successful and helpful to the community, it may receive a grant that will cover the next several years.

Expenditures

It is impossible to evaluate or even try to implement a program when the expenditures are not calculated. The calculation of expenditures helps to understand if the choice of funding resources and strategies was correct.

Rent (6 month/24 months)	6000$/24000$
Equipment (multi-drug screen tests, stationery, printer, etc.)	3500$
Lecturer (6 month/24 months) (15 hrs. per week)	5400$/21600$
Medical assistance (if needed)	3000$
Insurance (6 month/24 months)	1,500$/6000

Total Cost
6 month	19 400$
24 Month	58 100$

As can be seen, the highest expenditures in the table are rent and lecturer’s salary. Medical assistance can also provide expenditures if the drug testers’ will need to be urgently examined or even hospitalized. The office insurance will cover any possible damage to the equipment and, possibly, the office itself. The equipment, however, can also require additional expenditures because it can be broken, stolen, etc., although insurance will supposedly cover such losses.

Net Cost/Contribution

The program can decrease the crime rates, property damage, Montgomery police department’s workload, home and office insurance in the community (Virginia Estates), possibly even impact the community’s status and the rent cost (which will bring more profit to the leaseholders but less to the tenants). Combined, contributions may bring up to 25 000$ in the first 8-9 months and ca. 60 000$ during the first 24 months of the program implementation. The net cost is thus: 25 000 – 19 400 = 5 600 or 80 000 – 58 100 = 3 900.

Conclusion

The analysis of the program has shown that a financial plan, presented above, is suitable for the implementation of the program; it addresses the major funding sources that are present in Montgomery and Alabama but also suggests a community foundation as a funding source. The expenditures of the program can be covered by the contribution both in the short and long-term versions of the program. A contingency funding plan that can support the program in case of difficulties with implementation was also provided (Bryson & Alston, 2011). The financial plan aims to show that the program is a new and efficient alternative to the existing one in Montgomery, AL.

References

Bryson, J. M., & Alston, F. K. (2011). Creating your strategic plan: A workbook for public and nonprofit organizations. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons.

Clear, T. R., Reisig, M. D., & Cole, G. F. (2012). American corrections. Toronto, Canada: Nelson Education.

What are the sources of revenue for local governments? (2013). Web.

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