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Five-Year Operating and Capital Budget
State of Pennsylvania - 2010 - PA Governor's Award for Local Government Excellence
Summary
In 2009, Trappe Borough Council created a five-year operating and capital budget, one of an exceptionally few municipalities in the tri-state region to adopt a multi-year budget.
Description
In 2009, Trappe Borough Council created a five-year operating and capital budget,
one of an exceptionally few municipalities in the tri-state region to adopt a multi-year
budget.
The Trappe Borough Five-Year Budget provides residents and elected officials with
better information. The Five-Year Budget allows the community to better address
tomorrow's challenges today. The Five-Year Budget lets residents know their elected
officials are thinking about the future of Trappe Borough.
The Trappe Borough Five-Year Budget has produced immediate results. The
Five-Year Budget provides Borough residents with better information. Whereas
numbers dominated previous year budgets, words (in specific narratives) are central
to the Five-Year Budget. These narratives were penned with the layman in mind,
employing terms that are clear, concise and easily understood by persons without
local government expertise.
The Five-Year Budget provides Borough Council with better information. When
discussing multi-year projects, Council can "plug-in" projected expenses to gauge
the impact on future budgets. This has helped to prioritize potential undertakings,
giving Council the means to distinguish "must do" projects from "may do" projects.
The Five-Year Budget prompts the Borough to stay proactive. How much will the
street light electric bill increase when rate caps expire in 2011? Will earned income tax
revenues be affected when Act 32 takes effect in 2012? Will the Borough have the
money needed to construct a baseball field in 2013? Previous year budgets answered
only those questions pertaining to that year's budget. The Five-Year Budget begins
the discussion of tomorrow's challenges today.
And better still... the budgets for the first four years are balanced!
