I’m writing with some input into the draft 2018-19 City of MP Budget document and the process. Unfortunately, I haven’t finished
reading the document so I will need to write again.
Improving Community Input Process
Regarding the process, I went to last week’s Budget Workshop where I picked up a copy of the new budget. To my knowledge, the
document was not available to the public before that meeting. Thus, there were few questions. For meaningful public input, with
the City Manager and his staff, the public needs to have access to the budget for at least one week before the Community Meeting.
So I suggest scheduling at least one more community meeting on the budget, with the City Manager and his Finance team (any anyone
else from his staff who wants to participate) -- before the budget goes to Council for their “final approval” meeting.
Need for a Long-Range Strategic Plan
Unfortunately, MP lacks a long-range strategic plan which would significantly aid planning for capital requirements over a 25-year
(or so) period. Having a long-range comprehensive plan is considered a municipal best practice and I see that Palo Alto has one.
It would be in the resident’s best interests to have a long-range strategic plan. One would also benefit staff because it would
cut down on reactivity and changing priorities. Would Council consider this making a commitment to implementing a long-term
strategic plan as a future Work Plan priority?
Suggest two separate documents: Operating Budget and Capital Budget
The City of Palo Alto develops two documents: Operating Budget and Capital Budget
[https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/civicax/filebank/documents/64860]. Although the PA Proposed Capital document is longer, I find it
easier to follow with the information at the right level of detail. Would Council consider asking staff to split the budget
document into an Operating Budget and Capital Budget?
At minimum, can we put all Capital related information into one section? The City Manager’s Transmittal Letter includes
information pertaining to Capital spending (pg. VIII). The casual reader might miss the details. A relatively easy fix would be
for the City Manager to separate his letter into two versions: one to introduce the Operating budget and another to introduce the
Capital Budget.
Add Project Detail Pages – like in the PA Example
The Palo Alto CIP document includes project pages for each Capital project. I brought examples of these to the last F&A Committee
meeting where they were well received as a concept for MP. The F&A Committee discussed creating a template for use by MP
Departments.
As explained in Palo Alto’s Capital Budget, “The project pages include information regarding the project completion schedules
(initial and revised), descriptions, justifications, a summary of significant changes to the cost or schedule of a project,
revenue and expense information by fiscal year, and operating budget impacts for each project. This allows for the total cost of a
project to be detailed.” The also include the relevant commissions giving input into the project and/or overseeing the project.
I consider the Palo Alto Proposed Capital document a best practice for presenting Capital spending-related financial information
so that residents can easily understand and track the projects.
Who is the Community and What Exactly is Their Vision?
Finally, I will comment on a few of the generalities used to justify the spending priorities.
The “community’s vision” is referred to in multiple places as justification for the spending priorities in the budget document.
Further, the overall theme of the budget document is “From Vision to Fruition.” The high-sounding phrases and theme makes it seem
as though the spending priorities are part of a carefully vetted response to community needs. Instead of these generalities, the
document needs specifics and evidence so that these claims are credible.
1. Who is the community? Residents? Business Interests? Staff? Even if different groups, let’s define them and be more explicit as
to how the spending serves them.
2. What exactly is the “Community’s Vision.” This also needs defining in a clear statement. I would also include any community
engagement process that led to a resident focused vision statement.
3. The document also needs to more explicitly (and credibly) show how the spending priorities, especially the Capital projects,
link to community priorities.
Longer term, it would be wonderful to include participatory budgeting at next year’s January budget workshop. As you likely know,
Participatory budgeting(PB) is a process of democratic deliberation and decision-making, in which ordinary people decide how to
allocate part of a municipal or publicbudget. Results of that type of process could certainly support claims that a particular
major Capital spending project was, in fact, a community priority.
Lynne Bramlett
