CHAPTER 22 Budgeting
CP 22-3
Memo
To: Stacy Collins
From: Ima Student
Re: Evaluating City of Milton Budget
After reviewing the city of Milton’s budget data, it appears that considerable goal conflict
exists within departments, resulting in department managers making poor budgeting and
spending decisions. The amount of actual expenditures was less than budgeted for the
first 10 months of the budget year. As the budget year-end approached, department
managers appear to have spent the remaining excess budget, going over budget in
May and June. The amount spent for the year was equal to the total amount budgeted
because the difference between the annual actual and budgeted totals is zero. Thus, the
managers did not spend more than was authorized for the year. However, the managers
There are a number of techniques that the city could undertake to more effectively
budget and align departmental behavior with the city’s goals. First, departments could
adopt flexible budgets, which allow for monthly budgets to change with underlying
allow a manager to request additional funds after the budget year has begun. With this
solution, department managers would not need to hold back spending for emergencies,
because emergencies could be handled with a separate request. For example, if the town
had a natural disaster, police and fire departments could request additional funding to
meet the increased budget need. Finally, the budget could be designed to encourage
thrift. For example, the budget could be designed so that managers carry forward a
portion of their unspent budget to future years. This system would reward departmental