Budget Surplus: A Case Study

A small midwestern city has a $1 million budget surplus. Two groups immediately begin vying for the funds. One of the requests comes from downtown businesses requesting to use the money to beautify downtown by adding brick sidewalks and planting areas with the goal of attracting customers. As city manager, you are aware that the downtown area has not been doing as well as predicted and that the small businesses are necessary for the development of a vibrant downtown, as stated in the citys goals. The other request comes from the citys police department wanting to begin a unit to pursue career criminals. You are familiar with the statistics and know that repeat offenders commit an overwhelming number of crimes. There is an apparent trend in police departments to address this issue separately. The two groups are competing for limited resources. Both causes are considered worthy of city funding, but decisions must be made, given that $1 million will not fully fund both requests. Both crime control and economic development are of vital interest to your community, and both have active constituents who will come to the city council meetings with their requests.

Respond to the following questions:

Please answer the following questions and explain. (it needs to fit a two paged memo)

1.First, diagnose what the specific problem is. Who are the stakeholders, and what roles do they play? What assumptions or attributions are you making about the problem and the circumstances under which it occurs?

2. Second, are there secondary problems? identify the facts and what special considerations must be taken into account. What are the strategic factors that must be satisfied to solve the problem.

3. Third, determine what are the options (recommended procedures, practices, and techniques) for dealing with or solving the problem.

4.Fourth, make a recommendation or decision. These decisions need to be provided with supporting analysis and evidence that explains or justifies why the decision was made.

5.Fifth, focus on the generalizable assessment of the case study or simulation reflecting on the takeaways, lessons and insights derived from it.