In San Diego, there prevails an association of the regional cities and county government regarded as SANDAG. As an association of 18 cities coupled with county government, SANDAG entails San Diego association of governments. The public agency serves as a plausible forum inculcated for the regional decision-making facets. SANDAG constructs consensus, inculcates strategic plans, acquires and allocates resources, plans, engineers, and manage the construction of public transportation. Moreover, the public agency provides extensive information on a vast range of topics that are impactful on the pertinent region quality of life. As such, the public agency is focused on the improvement of life within the public mandate across the diverse spheres. Through its involvement in the public sphere, the agency has been positively impactful on the lives of the society of operation. Thus, this paper will evaluate SANDAG as per the case questions.
- A review of the budgetary process
Each May, SANDAG incorporates an overall work program coupled with a budget. The budgetary process is focused on a participative approach with extensive consultations with the federal, state and local funding. Through the involvement of the three parties, a support mechanism prevails for the agency to incorporate plausible responsibilities. However, in an organizational or public agency performance mandate, there are diverse processes inculcated by SANDAG.
The first phase within the budgetary process of SANDAG is the development of a region wide vision for the future of the cities it represents. The governor in conjunction with the legislative budget board is responsible for playing a pivotal role of generating the vision for the various regions or cities. The statement is used to provide a plausible framework for the generation of strategic plans and set forth a plausible mission for the agency and its cities of representation. Through the mission statement, core principles for guiding the decision making, goals, objectives and benchmark for the diverse projects to be undertaken. SANDAG is construed towards being limited, highly accountable and efficient; these are some of the mission statement for the operational mandate of the agency. Furthermore, the agency should foster opportunity coupled with economic growth through focusing on priorities and support the generation of an enabling environment for its population.
After the generation of an effective budget statement, the prevailing step is the development of a tactical plan by each city members of the board. The strategic plan internalized should be long term and focused on setting forth where the agency is and the path or where the agency should plan to go. The strategic goals, as per Cynthia & Liz (2014) should be inclusive of the mission statement, identification of the goals of the agency, population that is to be served by the agency, a descriptive mandate of the means to achieve the plans set. The governor’s office of budget, planning coupled with policy in conjunction with the LLB staff give instructions regarding the development of strategic plans in the proceeding tear. Through the development of the strategic plan by SANDAG, further submission to the governor office board prevails for approval.
3 months preceding the evaluation of the strategic plan, the LLB sends Legislative Appropriation Request (LAR) instructions. The aforesaid appropriation requests are incorporated by the agencies towards the development of budget requests. Inclusive of the budget request is the holistic performance measures that the budgeting is based on. During the preceding one month, the Governors Budget Office (GBO) coupled with SANDAG hold meetings and hearings towards the evaluation of the strategic plans developed. In the course of the meetings, the items to be further included in the agency strategic plan and the performance plan are reviewed and evaluated critically. The LAR should be submitted within the specified time usually summer in San Diego. However, copies must be provided to the LBB, GOB and the state auditor office coupled with the comptroller public accounts. Approximately a month after the provision of the LAR copies, the SANDAG in conjunction with the LLB staff are incorporated towards the generation of the appropriation document. The positions allowed within the agency coupled with the capital budget information, specific numerated instruction coupled with contingencies on various expenditures generated and the amount of funding needs for the agency appropriation is determined. The conjunction between the LLB and SANDAG is highly imperative towards ensuring a common ground in regards to the amount requested by other agencies and SANDAG’s estimates. Through the comprehensive meetings between SANDAG and other agencies, a legislative budget estimate is generated. The legislative estimate bill sets forth the holistic information from SANDAG and other agencies. The proposed or amount requested by the agency coupled with the agency forthcoming premium is denoted within the appropriation bill.
Next, the filing of the appropriations in the dual houses of a legislature prevail which allows for each house to operate or work effectively on the bill. Through a diversification in the evaluation of the bill, independence and transparency in handling the appropriation bill prevails. The comptroller is charged with the responsibility of provision of legislature a bi-annual revenue estimate. The bi-annual estimate is utilized to ensure that the appropriations do not surpass the anticipated revenue. During the commencement of the session, the senate committee on finance coupled with the house committee on appropriations receives testimony from SANDAG and other agencies within an independent mandate. Through testimonies by the agencies, plausible comprehension of what the budget denotes prevails. Accordingly, each committee may make changes to the budget to suit the revenues accrued within the state. The process is denoted as the markup. As such, when the bill passes through the various committees in the diverse chambers, it is issued to the full body for voting. The bill after the aforesaid step is taken to the conference committee which comprises of members emanating from the two houses for the discussion of the disparities between the senate and house versions.
Finally, after the bill goes through the conference committee for reconciliation, it is referred back to the house for a vote. In the instance that consensus is met, the bill is sent to the comptroller for approval. Through approval, the budget by SANDAG and other agencies is deemed plausible, and revenue allocated for effective operational mandate.
- A description of its operating and capital budgets
SANDAG is involved in various projects that are focused on the improvement of welfare of the various cities across US. The inculcation of a formidable budget is imperative towards sustenance of the various development projects to be undertaken. Thus, from the evaluation of its budget, as at May 2014, the agency’s board of directors had approved an operating budget pegged at $ 1.96 billion (Cynthia & Liz 2014). The budget was focused towards enhancing its employee numbers to suit the need for an increased service delivery within the various cities. Board of directors acknowledged that it was imperative to sustain operational success through involving extensive human resource in service delivery. The 30% increase in operational budget was deemed highly crucial towards sustaining effective provision of social amenities and services. Furthermore, the capital budget was set at $832 million (Cynthia & Liz 2014). The capital budget was 20% higher as compared to the previous year due to the emanating expenses capital intensive investments that need to be undertaken. The capital program or expenditure is mainly based on the investments that require undertaking by the agency. Furthermore, refurbishment of the various social halls, roads and so forth has been regarded as extensive issues that require handling by the agency.
- An overview of its operating and capital expenses
Capital expenses denote the major activities to be undertaken by SANDAG. As such, the main developments such as transit building and so forth denote come of the capital expenses that are within the performance mandate of the agency. Thus, from its evaluation, the capital expenses commencing financial yr. 2015 as approved by the board of directors is $1.36 billion (Cynthia & Liz 2014). The capital expenses as aforesaid emanates from the major operations to be undertaken that will incur the agency extensive costs. However, with the aim of limiting the expenses incurred, the agency plans to undertake various cost cutting measures. However, significant or solid solutions have not been developed that require in-depth analysis. Developing solid or formidable solutions emanate from extensive consultations among the various stakeholders or members cities represented by SANDAG. The annual meeting has been put forth to be held next year to evaluate the various approaches towards minimizing both capital and operating expenses. On the other hand, the SANDAG operating expenses is $347.9 million (Cynthia & Liz 2014). The stated expenses are a 10% increase from the previous year (Cynthia & Liz 2014). The increase emanates from renewed employee increase within the agency coupled with inflation rates which have impacted on the cost of procurement and running the various operations within the agency. Increase in operating expenses as one of the agendas in the prevailing year requires plausible evaluation by the agency to ensure proper service delivery within a cost effective mandate. However, in line with the increasing operating costs is the prevailing major investment into reach to the marginalized regions across the region of operation. The employment of more staff though deems an increase in the operational expenses has been widely accepted to widen the scope of reach of the organization. However, the inculcation of more staff and reducing the salary and remuneration burden still seems a far-fetched initiative towards sustaining operational Excellency within a cost effective manner.
- Shortcomings of the budget development, approval and implementation process
- Recommendations on ways to improve upon the budget document being examined, including its preparation, approval, implementation and audit process based upon what you have read and learned in this course
Budgeting process requires the inculcation of efficiency and effectiveness towards sustaining a proper policy statement. As such, from the evaluation of the budgeting process at SANDAG, it is highly involving. The inculcation of the governor and the various boards require proper recommendations to reduce the time taken for its implementation. As such, as one of the recommendation, the budgeting process should be based on a participative decision making mandate. The participative decision making approach should be construed towards a monthly stated deadline in which SANDAG, other agencies, the governor and the LLB are involved in the planning process. A participative decision making approach should be focused on liaising all the stakeholders to sustain a common ground on the various approaches to sustain effective budgeting. Through weekly performance targets in the budgeting process, emanating from the participative approach, a month should be profound to generate a holistic budget. Through the performance targets, the budget should be compete and sent to the various house, senate and the comptroller. The inculcation of the three parties should be a proper tactic to evaluate extensively the budget against the revenue accrued. The process should be based on a month of analysis. The month of evaluation should also comprise the conference committee to generate a common ground in regards to the budget. Generating a plausible budget that has been accepted by the two houses is imperative for successful operations by SANDAG within a reduced time mandate.
Conclusion
SANDAG is a proper agency towards provision of services to the region of operation. Through SANDAG community development and growth prevails. However, in its provision of diverse services, financing is imperative. Financing emanates from the inculcation of a proper budget that undergoes diverse processes. Nonetheless, the budgeting process is time consuming which requires recommendations to ensure efficiency and effectiveness.
References
Cynthia, Burke., & Liz, Donoski. 2014. Public safety allocations in the San Diego region: expenditures and staffing for fiscal year 2014: Criminal justice division research. P4-28
Greenberg, J. (2011). Behaviour in organizations (10th Ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ:
Prentice Hall.
Morrison, Alan B.2009. Fundamentals of American Law. New York: Oxford University Press.
