For Assignments 1-5, you are the new budgeting and finance administrator for your local government agency. Your first responsibility is to become familiar with the agency, the budget, programs, and capital projects. As the administrator, you will be responsible for analyzing, examining, proposing, and preparing the agency's budget for the next five (5) years.

Note: Students cannot use New York City as a selected local government

Assignment 1: The Operating Budget

Write a four to five (4-5) page paper, titled Part I: The Operating Budget for the (Selected Agency) in which you separate the content into sections:
1. Provide background information about the agency, mission, goals, objectives, departments, and strategic plan. (Title this section Introduction.)
2. Describe the budget of the agency by addressing the following items: (Title this section Budget Overview.)
a. Financial Summary, including Revenue and Expenditures
b. Department Budgets
c. Funding
d. Capital Projects
e. Debt Administration
3. Perform a Cost Analysis. (Title this section Cost Analysis.) The costs should include the following:
a. Fixed Costs
b. Step-fixed Costs
c. Variable Costs
4. Identify and explain one to two (1-2) challenges you will have in managing the budget. (Title this section Budget Challenges.)
5. Recommend two to three (2-3) strategies the agency should review regarding new initiatives and budget cuts over the next five (5) years. (Title this section Budget Recommendations.)
6. Include the agency's most recent budget or financial plan.
7. Provide the agency's Website name, URL, and any other sources used to support the assignment's criteria.
Assignment 2: The Capital Budget
Refer the Scenario for Assignments 1-5. Forecast salaries, revenue estimating, and prepare the capital budget.

Using the budget from the selected agency, write a five to six (5-6) page paper in which you:
1. Analyze the agency's compensation for employees. Provide a rationale on what the costs and benefits would be for a 2 percent, 4 percent, or 5 percent pay increase for the fiscal year 2014. In your forecast, discuss the effects of the increase on benefits for the agency. (Title this section Payroll Forecast.)
2. Review the trend of the agency over the past five (5) years and prepare an analysis explaining the trend for expenditures. (Title this section Trend Analysis.)
3. Prepare and explain a five (5) year forecast of the four (4) highest expenditures. Include in the analysis whether the costs should be approved or not approved. Justify the reasoning with examples. (Title this section Expenditure Forecast.)
4. Compare two (2) options for predicting the cost of needed repairs to the current building that houses the selected agency by completing Exercise 1 at the end of Chapter 1 (page 92). Provide a rationale for recommending one (1) of the two (2) options. Include the figures to support the rationale. (Title this section Capital Budget.)
5. Provide names and URLs of the Websites for the state's budget(s) analyzed and any other government Websites used to support the assignment's criteria.

Assignment 3: Presenting the Budget
Due Week 8 and worth 225 points
Refer the Scenario for Assignments 1-5. Prepare the financial plan and budget justification proposal.

The agency is contracted to work with New York City on several capital projects. To proceed with negotiations, an analysis of the city's financial documents must be considered. Review the New York City Financial Plan, located at http://www.nyc.gov/html/omb/downloads/pdf/fp6_12.pdf, to answer questions listed. (Title this section "New York City Financial Plan")
1. Answer Question 1 based on the review of the New York City Financial Plan: Are total revenues growing faster or more slowly than expenditures? Show the annual growth rates for revenues and expenditures in a table.
2. Answer Question 2 based on the review of the New York City Financial Plan: What is New York City's fastest-growing category of expenditures during the planning period? Justify the answer with examples.
3. Answer Question 3 based on the review of the New York City Financial Plan: What percentage of New York City revenue comes from the general property tax? How much is this tax growing in each year of the financial plan? Justify the answer with examples.
4. Prepare a budget to support the proposal to partner with New York City to offer a job training program housed within the NYC Department of Social Services. (Title this section "Budget Justification Proposal.") (Note: The agency has decided to partner with New York City.)
a) The agency proposes $500,000 over a three (3) year period beginning FY2013 to be included in the State Categorical Grants for the Department of Social Services to provide hands-on job training workshops in office administration, security, construction, and apartment maintenance.
b) Use Figure 7.2, Budget Justification, in Chapter 7 (pages 114-115) as an example.
5. Provide names and URLs of the Websites for the state's budget(s) analyzed and any other government Websites used to support the assignment's criteria.
Assignment 4: Implementing the Budget
Due Week 9 and worth 125 points

Refer the Scenario for Assignments 1-5. Prepare a variance report for the selected agency. Refer to Table 8.4 in Chapter 8 (page 133).

Write a three to four (3-4) page paper addressing the criteria below. (Note: Change the title of the report to reflect the selected agency's name and the years to 2013-2014.)
1. Find the variances for both the revenue and expenditures sides and then discuss two to three (2-3) problematic areas for the agency. Provide the results of the variances in a table (Excel or Word).
2. Recommend two (2) policy actions for each problematic area discussed in criterion 1. Justify the recommendations.



Assignment 5: Multiyear Plans and Analysis


Preparation

• Review the document titled "City of Charlottesville 2010 Annual Comprehensive Plan" located in the course shell.

Write a three to four (3-4) page paper in which you:
1. Review the "City of Charlottesville 2010 Annual Comprehensive Plan" and then complete Exercise 1 on page 152 using Exhibits C and D in the Annual Report and Table 9.4 on page 148. Change the title headers to the agency name. Save the Excel File as the agency's name and include the Multiyear Plan.
2. Analyze the comparison of ratios.
3. Analyze the measures of liquidity.
4. Analyze the long-term solvency.
5. Analyze asset management rations.