Part I: Financial Overview Assignment:
For the project in this course, you may use the local government and public policy identified in MBAPA/591 or you may choose to use another local government and policy.
Prepare a paper assessing that government's financial health. Utilize the comprehensive annual report and budget documents for the government. In this paper you should do the following:
a. Explain the difference between expenditures, expenses, and encumbrances.
b. Describe the government's capital project, general, and proprietary funds.
c. Analyze the budget.
1) What are the main revenue sources?
2) Describe the budgetary levels. Are items budgeted at the department level, program level, other?
3) Describe the long-range spending and short-range spending plans.
4) Which departments/programs receive the largest appropriations?
d. Explain how public policy translates into the government's short-range and long-range spending plans.
Part II: Developing Funding Choices
Using the local government and public policy identified for your project, prepare a paper assessing that government's revenues and examining possible funding options for your public policy implementation. Utilize the comprehensive annual report and budget documents for the government. In this paper you should do the following:
a. Using the budget, analyze your local government's sources of revenue. Determine which revenues are used in which funds: governmental, proprietary, and fiduciary.
b. Describe any restrictions that are (or could be) placed on those revenues.
c. Evaluate how public policy decisions affect the receipt of revenues.
d. Analyze the economic conditions that affect revenue projections.
e. Develop a revenue policy that aligns with community values
Part III: Economic Development Implications
Using the local government and public policy identified for your project, prepare a paper discussing the economic impact of your public policy issue. The public policy issue that you have selected for your project is almost certain to have economic development implications. Utilize your government's comprehensive annual report, budget documents, and the Internet for this assignment. In this paper you should do the following:
a. Define enterprise zones and explain the utilization of these zones by your chosen government and the state within which the government exists.
b. Assess how the enterprise zones could be used to enhance the economic development implications of your policy issue.
c. Describe how a cost-benefit analysis of an economic development can be performed.
d. Evaluate incentives that are currently given to developers and other agencies to enhance economic development and rural development projects by the local and the state governments.
e. Evaluate the ethical consequences of the economic development initiative.