A Five-Year Budget Proposal for Macomb County - Assignment Example

A Five-Year Budget Proposal for Macomb County II Fire Department ID A Five-Year Budget Proposal for Macomb County II Fire Department Macomb County II Fire Department based the development of their budget for strategic reasons. This explains why the budget developed is to cover a period of Five years. The five-year budget is developed and broken down into smaller pieces that are then used during operations to cover the financial control aspect of the county. The county bases on its mission that aims at educating the people of Macomb, protecting and delivering to them services excellent services through progressive training, well organized and cohesive team (Macomb Township, n.d). The county fire department covers a number of aspects within areas of combating fires that require financial support for effective running of their activities and ensuring that their mission is achieved overtime. The details of the proposal cover the budget that covers the financial plans of the Macomb County II fire department for the next five years and will involve all aspects of financial implications to the county. The county officials of the fire department will decide whether to pass the budget or not. This will determine the implementation of the budget and the effect that it will have on the financial aspects of the county. If passed, the department will follow it and ensure that proper financial controls are in place for the next five years that will ensure the budget is followed and hence driving the county to a financial performance that will enable them count developments (Steiss, 2005). A number of programs will be covered in the plan and these include the programs that promote the teaching aspects, those for the organization of the fire fighting aspects of the county and those that relate to the provision of services to the community. These programs all require finances and their inclusion in the county’s budget gives it a leading role in saving the county from the effects of fires (Smeby, 2013). The programs are developed based on these above and all aim at the provision of quality services to the public in Macomb County. Type of Expenditure Base In the budget developed, there exist two forms of expenditures. These are the mandatory and discretionary expenditures. The mandatory expenditures cover those that directly may affect the people if not planned for and properly executed. The mandatory aspects that the budget needs to carry relate to the provisions for funds that run rescue and fire fighting services within the county. The need to have these services mandatory explains the need to protect the people of Macomb from the disastrous fires that destroy their homes and cause loss of lives (Flemming, 2010). It is a mandatory role for the fire fighting services provides to ensure that these fires remain controlled and those that arise are put out in it before they cause damage of a great magnitude. The mandatory expenditures have the county government have payments as required by specific laws developed to help enforce the programs of the county fire department. The specific laws may be developed based on the need of the expenditures. These expenditures are normally covered earlier in the budget first followed by the discretionary expenditures that may require constant review (Hough, Morgan, Robinson & Strachota, 2014). On the other hand, the discretionary expenditures includes those expenditures that the county government fire department may not have to allocate funds for but may decide to allocate some funds incase need arises to have them secured. These cover services that could include the improvement of the uniform of the staff, the provision of better meals and accommodation to the staff and acquisition of new equipment that the company can still do without. These expenditures have payments reviewed annually for the budgets developed and may have constant adjustments. These items have their payments reviewed on an annual basis to provide the county fire department with flexibility in budget enforcement (Carter & Rausch, 2007). The budget will consider these two forms of expenditure and ensure that they both are taken care of with sufficient financial resources allocated to them to ensure that each activity is taken care of in a way that satisfies the people of Macomb County. People the Budget Is Pitched To Development of the budgets for the fire department is a role that is vital for the county to access funds from the central government. The budget is prepared for the central government, private donors and the department to seek public aid in soliciting funds for their activities (Steiss, 2005). The budget is therefore pitched to these different kinds of people and through this; the people provide the funds for the fire department to continue serving the people of Macomb County. Values of Public Administration The budget is aimed at enhancing value of public administration and through these; the development of better programs for the people of Macomb County proves easy. The development of budgets for the public-by-public arms relies more on values that promote the acceptance of public support and these include values of integrity, people values, integrity, and fairness (Smeby, 2013). Public safety: This is one of the major aspects the department and it aims at provision of public safety to the people of Macomb County in relation to fires and any other dangers that may threaten their lives and welfare. All values that the department needs to consider in developing its budgets. Integrity: Public administration aims at delivering services to a public that elects or depends on a particular set of individuals to deliver the necessary services to them. Integrity relates to provision of public administration through respect of people and leading through means that reflect respect. Considering the right values for the public that will ensure respect prevails and they obtain corruption free services (Hough, Morgan, Robinson & Strachota, 2014). People values: These relate to the respect of all public members and offering services without discrimination to all members of the community. People values consider the different masses and their reaction to services they obtain from the county offices. Transparency: Transparency in public administration relates to running of public administration in an open manner that avoids means that may create doubts in the people. Spending public resources in an accountable manner to aid the people understand the need of the spending and what they validate to (Flemming, 2010). After developing the budget and passing it, there is, need to develop an implementation strategy that will ensure each aspect on the budget is covered and is tracked to ensure it is handled within the budget. Any deviations from the planned budget will lead to effects on the general budget and the ability for it to reach its intended objectives. Budget Components The budget is made up of majorly two parts, that is the revenues part and the expenditures part. The capital outlay part represents the money available for spending of the county of Macomb fire department and units that support its activities. These determine how much the department has for spending. The cash balances that result from spending on the budget for the previous financial year also features in this area. General funds, special revenue debt services funds all apply in the provision of capital outlays for the county to spend. The organization being a governmental arm that is formed for provision of services to the people does not operate based on making profits but delivery of services to the people. This explains why revenues from trade activities less support the sources of income (Carter & Rausch, 2007). The expenditure part holds the spending intentions of the county and their tracking of it. They reflect the activities that will engage the money of the county and the mandatory and discretionary expenditures here will appear. Among the expenditures are administrative costs that relate to the management of the general fire department. These require more funds and they need to run for a longer period effectively for the other arms to work well. Maintenance aspects that the county needs to run on the machines also feature. These occur as departments within the county fire departments (Steiss, 2005). The administration department, the operations department that manages any drills and approach to the fire situation that may arise, the finance department, the public safety expenditures that provide for the activities that promote public safety and any other fire related contingencies that may arise. The budget will have no surplus or deficit as per the plan. All the funds will be utilized fully in the different projects that the county has developed. Through these, the county will provide successful and effective services to the public hence attaining the public values intended and meeting the mission developed for the county. It is based on this mission that the department provides for public safety in their budgets. These funds for public safety are aimed at ensuring that the public receives the right safety measures and remain protected from any harm that may threaten their lives. Public safety is one of the core values of the fire department of Macomb County (Smeby, 2013). In conclusion, budgets do not necessarily mean successful operations, efforts in ensuring that the budgets are followed and the items detailed in them considered carefully ensures the budget is successfully implemented helping the department meet their goals. References Carter, H. & Rausch, E. (2007). Management in the Fire Service. Boston: Jones & Bartlett Publishers. Flemming, R. (2010). Effective Fire and Emergency Services Administration. Washington, D.C: Fire Engineering Books. Hough, J., Morgan, D., Robinson, K., & Strachota, D. (2014). Budgeting For Local Governments and Communities. New York: M.E. Sharpe. Macomb Township, (n.d). Fire. Retrieved from https://www.macomb-mi.gov/Fire/FireHomePage.html Smeby, C. (2013). Fire and Emergency Services Administration: Management and Leadership Practices. Boston: Jones & Bartlett Publishers. Steiss, A. (2005). Strategic Facilities Planning: Capital Budgeting And Debt Administration. London: Lexington Books. Read More