Public Affairs 4030: Public Budgeting

Upon completion of the course, students should understand:

• The components of a budget and the different types of budget formats
• The benefits and implications of each type of budget format
• The budgeting process and its impact on policy
• How leaders can use budgets to manage resources and accomplish goals

Upon completion of the course, students will be able to:

• Describe and construct budgets using various methodologies
• Describe the financial documents used by governments and the information communicated by each (i.e. how does a budget differ from an Annual Comprehensive Financial Report?)
• Perform basic analyses of financial information, including budgetary calculations, cost allocation techniques, capital planning, and operational needs
• Diagnose a government’s financial strengths and weaknesses
• Communicate basic financial information to leadership, a legislative body, and community stakeholders

• Class Participation 15%

• Briefs (5 @ 5% each) 25%

• Team Study (25%) and Presentation (5%) 30%

• Final Individual Project – Budget Analysis 30%

A textbook and online readings may be required. Check your specific instructor's syllabus for information.

Class participation is essential for this course. Grading for class participation will be based on factors such as quality of participation, interest, and attendance. Multiple absences will negatively impact students’ ability to participate in the class, which will result in a lower grade.

Five briefs are assigned as part of this course. Briefs are to be approximately (1) page long, single-spaced, with one-inch margins and 12-point font. The use of bullet-points and headings/subheadings are encouraged as the goal of this assignment is to produce a “real-world” memo-style response to a public finance topic. Students should cite any references used to complete the brief on a second page.

Grades will be based on the following: 1) the overall quality of the brief, 2) the effort made to fully understand the topic, 3) how well the brief captured topics pertinent to the class or current events, and 4) the quality of the writing. Grammar, spelling, and the organization/flow of the papers will be considered in the grade.

A significant goal of this class is to prepare students to work in leadership positions in federal, state, and local government. This type of work requires preparing for and actively participating in meetings, asking questions, making public presentations, and working as part of a team.

For this assignment, you will form teams to fulfill an in-depth study of a local government’s budgetary practices and budget document. Teams will be established in class. The selection of cities, assignment instructions, and further information will be given in a handout in class. Each student is required to produce an approximately five (5) double-spaced paper (individually written) to fulfill this assignment. Each team is required to prepare and present a brief (five minute) presentation to the class followed by in-class Q&A.

You will demonstrate your ability to perform many of the skills that you will learn in this course. This project requires you to review an actual budget using the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) “Distinguished Budget” criteria.

Students will analyze a budget using the GFOA’s criteria, make assessments using traditional financial analysis tools as described in the text and in class, and offer recommendations to improve the budget document. Instructions and further information will be given in a handout. The final individual project will total approximately ten (10) double-spaced pages.