Columbia Southern University Budget Review Essay

Part I

This assignment is the first of a three-part process. Parts II and III will be completed in Units VII and VIII respectively.

Using your favorite search engine, select a local government budget that has not filed a petition for bankruptcy. Evaluate the past three years of the selected government’s distribution of income. Develop an analysis that addresses the prompts listed below.

• Evaluate trends of revenue sources and balances (funds, surpluses, deficits) and how they impact the government’s budget.
• Evaluate ethical practices of financial policy on taxes, fees, and charges.
• Describe the impact of budgetary deficiencies on the organization.
• Assess internal/external opportunities and challenges of revenue sources.

Your report should consist of no less than two pages, and all sources utilized should be cited and referenced using APA Style. Please ensure that you include a title page and reference page. Remember that the title page and reference page are not included in the page expectation.

Part II

This assignment is the second of a three-step process. Step 3 will be completed in Unit VIII.

Using the selected government budget from Part I in the previous unit, evaluate the past 3 years’ allocation of private and public goods. Develop an analysis that addresses the prompts listed below.

• Evaluate goals and priorities of the local government goods and services.
• Assess internal and external challenges for providing goods and services.
• Evaluate budget stabilization measures.
• Provide recommendations.

Your report should consist of no less than two pages, and all sources utilized should be cited and referenced using APA Style. Please ensure that you include a title page and reference page. Remember that the title page and reference page are not included in the page expectation.

Part III

Using the selected government budget from Parts I and II in the previous units, expand upon your previous work by discussing the prompts listed below.

• Discuss the privatization efforts that have been made as well as recommendations for possible privatization efforts or partnerships with private and nonprofit companies/organizations.
• Provide an analysis of financial policy trends toward alternative taxes.
• Provide an analysis of relevant state and federal tax policies (or related legislation) that could affect revenue streams or outlays.
• Identify the political factors that affected the government budget from Parts I and II.

Your report should consist of no less than two pages, and all sources utilized should be cited and referenced using APA Style.