At times during a fiscal year, certain problems can arise with a public safety agency's budget. These might include:

The overtime account is being overspent and is likely to be out of balance at the end of the budget year:

Article : Scottsdale Police, Fire departments overspend OT budgets by $600,000 By Beth Duckett

Fuel costs exceed the amount budgeted.

Technology equipment costs are higher than was estimated.

An unexpected major incident occurs, creating the need for more to be spent from various accounts.

Pick one of these, or find a clear example of another budget "overage".

What are the issues involved in over spending like this?

As a Chief, what can you do to mitigate the damage done to your budget?

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