What is Priority Budgeting?

Beginning with the FY2012-13 budget the Town will be developing a new process to help support decision making. The Town will be incorporating Priority Driven Budgeting techniques to provide a budget structure that facilitates making difficult decisions in times of scarce resources. Priority Budgeting is a new approach to making budgetary decisions that works by determining the relative value to the community of each service that the Town provides.

Some key features of this process are:

• Budget decisions are based on how we value services, rather than on incremental changes to existing programs.
• Programs that the Town values the most are protected or enhanced while programs of lesser impact or value receive relatively fewer resources.
• The process focuses on the true cost of providing services and the costs of not providing services.
• Decisions are based on community priorities developed in a transparent process.
• There is a focus on service/program results to determine the impact of changes to resource levels and for accountability for results. 

Instituting these changes will take several years as we incorporate the vision, values and goals established by the 2020 Comprehensive Planning Process.

Related Links

• Council Priority Budget Work Session (January 9, 2013)
  • Summary: Council Selection of FY2013-2014 Budget Objectives (PDF)
  • Ballot used for the selection process (PDF)
  • Objectives Ranking Results in graph form (PDF)
  • Objectives Ranking Results in table form (PDF)
• Council Work Session: Priority Budget/Chapel Hill 2020 Updates (November 14, 2012)
  • Priority Budget Update Memorandum (PDF)
  • Goals and Objectives Handout (PDF)
  • Goals, Objectives and their associated Budget Programs (PDF)
  • Goal Matching: Connecting 2020 Goals with Budget Goals (PDF)
• Priority Budgeting: Aligning the Budget Process with Community Priorities (PDF) presented to Council on September 27, 2012
  • Town of Chapel Hill Program Inventory 2012-2013 (PDF)
• Chapel Hill 2020 Special Topic: Priority Driven Budgeting (Video Presentation) delivered by Ken Pennoyer, Director of Business Management, on January 25, 2012
• Keep up with the latest news on the 2020 Vision/Comprehensive Planning process
• Find the latest info on Budget Development for the new fiscal year beginning July 1st

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