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:

1. How will you, as city manager, handle these requests? explian 2. What recommendations will you make to the city council? Explian 3. What role will you play with the constituents of both groups to satisfy their requests? Explian