INSIGHTS
QWith the current fiscal and political pressures on local officials , how do you best defend your budget requests ?
With the calls for defunding and reimagining policing , it is more challenging than ever to justify budget requests . Compounding the problem is the economic downturn caused by the Coronavirus , which brings the question , how do you justify a budget in these times ? It must be understood that every community is different with its own unique personalities and political situations . The old saying , “ everyone can tell you what to do with the bull , except the one who has him by the horns ”, still holds true today . Here ’ s my take on it .
In justifying a budget in this difficult climate , a careful analysis of funds that are needed , and how to allocate them will ensure that the final request is realistic . The agencies ’ operational funding needs and funding
32 SPRING . 2021 for progressive improvements must be realistic in proportion to the resources available from the governing body . Now , more than ever , we must be prepared to provide analytical data to support the needs of the agency . Ensuring the ability to provide adequate services to the citizens is not compromised or eroded . In addition to justifying the basic need to maintain current operational ability , you must also consider ways of building strong partnerships with various groups and leaders in the community . By having these relationships , you are in a better position to educate the public and leaders on ways to improve services , as well as making them aware of the need to fund more progressive law enforcement programs .
With so much negative press and calls for de-funding of law-enforcement nationally over the past year , it has at times seemed like we were in a losing battle to maintain the resources needed to provide security and safety for our citizens . We have been made aware of communities in our country moving to allow lawlessness and have also defunded their law-enforcement agencies .
We have also seen that such policies have resulted in terrible tragedy and compromised the security of the citizens in those locations . Several locations have been openly lamenting their decisions to underfund or de-fund law enforcement and are now struggling to re-build agencies that have been decimated by such policies .
In making contact with community leaders , you should emphasize that an underfunded and undertrained police department will hurt economic development and lower the quality of life for the residents within your community . You should point to recent national instances where underfunding or de-funding has been proven to result in an increase in crime and violence . That is where having prepared analytical analysis will be the most beneficial in getting your message across . You need to show that where crime and violence increase , the city will not be attractive for bringing in new businesses or residents . You may also show the statistics of situations when under-funding or de-funding led to conditions likely to increase the risk of