Budget Document

Budget Analysis

The budget under study in view of budgeting for small communities is that of the city of Fairfield that is in California. The budget is a financial plan that projects to the year 2013. The budget can be said to fulfill to a greater extent the first criterion of the GFOA that states that the budget is a policy document. This is because it has stated the conditional policies that regulate it at the end. However, to the extent it fails to coherently summarize these objectives and categorize them into non-financial and financial. However, the policies can be seen as extensively formulated for long run purposes in a qualitative way. On area where this budget succeeds is in articulating the financial plan where it contains all the possible funds available fro allocation for the budgeted period. There is a description of most of the funds that are appropriated though a fewer a left out with no reason. On a positive note, the budget contains projected changes in funds as stipulated in one of the requisites of the GFOA. The budget has not stated the extent of effect that the non-capital expenditures will affect the operating budget that is a requisite of the GFOA.

On the part of serving as an operational guide as stipulated in the criterions, the budget has gone ahead and listed the various operations that are to be carried out in the course of the budgeting period as per the various organizational units. A further description of the organizational units is given that is very critical in assessing the efficiency of the units in attaining their objectives. This is done for the description aides in reflecting the organizational units’ projections and appropriations. The budget as a communications device is achieved largely as there issues, trends and resource amounts that are indicated. This is shown in different aspects from the revenues to the interest allocations to various functional units. There is also the integration of the transmittal letter and overview sections that are numbered to make it easier for referencing and comprehension. According to the GFOA, the city of Fairfield budget can be deemed as acceptable though there are various aspects that need to be improved like the summarization and policy description.

References

City of Fairfield. (2008). City of Fair field 2005-07 budget and Ten-Year Financial Plan. Retrieved January 11, 2010 from http://www.ci.fairfield.ca.us/citybudget.htm

Government Finance Officers Association. (2008). Distinguished Budget Presentation Award Program (Budget Awards Program). Retrieved January 11, 2010 from http://www.gfoa.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=33&Itemid=57