This begins the hard work of trying to understand the city budget and finding a way to prioritize the spending cuts. Information that would seem helpful in making these decisions includes:
1. An overall summary and pie chart showing all revenues and spending. The State of Minnesota has an excellent template that they are using to explain the current budget shortfall at the State level http://budgetforum.senate.mn/?page_id=23
2. Each of the profit centers or revenue streams should then be broken down by source of income and expenses,by department. Some departments have their own source of revenue and others are from the “general fund.” Again, follow the State’s template;
3. A 5 and 10 year history of the overall spending broken down by
department and category;
4. A comparison of these items to neighboring communities and similar positioned communities in Minnesota;
5. What recommendations have been made by each individual department head;
6. A summary of all pay and benefit packages for employees;
7. A summary of each union contract, including key terms and duration. Is the individual union amenable to re-opening negotiations to address the short-fall and avoid lay-offs? Many unions are reopening contracts to implement salary freezes to avoid lay-offs.
The City administration for years has touted their desire to limit their reliance on local government aid and this is a chance to make good progress on that goal. Also, City leaders should recognize the importance of planning for growth. How can changes we make now, make us more competitive locally and regional in the years to come?
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