The City of Blue Ash is working with a national leader to explore new ways to better blend strategic planning and budgeting. This is intended to help the city’s decision-making process by basing priorities on desired outcomes.

Blue Ash is working with the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) to prioritize programming and services as a way to determine future budget expenditures. According to ICMA, addressing current fiscal realities while still meeting the objectives and the expectations of constituents represents the biggest challenge to every organization’s long-term fiscal wellness. Prioritization of services creates an objective and transparent decision-making process, one that ensures programs of higher value to citizens—those that achieve the organization’s objectives most effectively—can be sustained through adequate funding levels regardless of the economic conditions.

“Whether there are more resources to distribute or less, prioritization leads decision makers away from the traditional ‘across the board’ spending/reduction methodology,” said Jon Johnson, of ICMA. “Instead, leaders are guided towards allocating available resources to those programs most highly valued by the organization and most importantly, by the citizens who depend on those programs for their well-being, their comfort, and their expected quality of life.”

Using prioritization, government organizations establish core goals results and objectives, with input from the administration, elected officials and citizens. This helps to implement a holistic approach that aligns strategic planning with resource allocation. It also provides an easier way to develop performance measurement and management. Further, prioritization provides a process by which significant capital and other one-time expenditures for the foreseeable future can be evaluated in order to identify those projects and initiatives that are of the highest priority.

Ultimately, ICMA believes that through prioritization, governments can determine which programs and services are the most effective use of tax revenues to attain goals.

“We see this as an additional tool in our planning and budget process to enhance our decision making,” said Mark Weber, Mayor of Blue Ash. “Blue Ash has a rich history of responsible planning and use of taxpayer funds,” City Manager David Waltz added. “This is another logical step for us as we look into 2011 and beyond.” 

Questions regarding the budget reprioritization process should be directed to the City Manager's Office at 745-8510 or via E-mail to administration@blueash.com.