Do you want to know what your local government is up to? Would you like to know how your city or town is spending the taxpayers' money? As a concerned citizen, you have the right to know how your tax dollars are being spent. You want to understand why the city cuts programs that benefit the community, like after-school activities, while at the same time they are building a parking garage. Your city or town's budget document identifies what money the council approved for specific services, such as public safety. The budget document may be available on the city's website, making it easy to access. However, most city budget documents are very complicated, with pages filled with tables of numbers and terms few residents understand. If you can't understand the city's budget, how will you know if your tax dollars are being well used? How can you hold your elected officials accountable? This book is intended to guide you through the hundreds of pages of numbers and jargon that makes up most municipal budget documents. It will help you to focus on the most important information in your city's budget. The book includes an extensive glossary of terms used in government finance and budgeting. This easy to read guide is written for neighborhood taxpayers and community leaders, who want to be more effectively involved in their city or town. It is an excellent resource for newly elected city or town council members and appointed committee volunteers, eager to get a handle on the inner workings of government finance before having to cast critical budget votes. This 7 Keys book is also perfectly suited to the academic setting such as a public administration class or a community workshop on local government. The book includes creative hands-on projects intended to give the reader a solid working knowledge of the city budget.
About the Author: Mary Jo Zenk has been analyzing government budgets for over 25 years. She has been involved in all aspects of government budgeting from preparation, discussions, deliberations and adoption, to implementation and monitoring. Ms. Zenk has held executive positions in several public agencies with responsibilities central to financial management and operations. She has analyzed the financial situation of agencies, developed operating and capital budgets, and currently teaches budgeting and public financial management at California State University Monterey Bay. Ms Zenk now runs her own management consulting business providing technical assistance to government agencies and nonprofits. She excels at helping local elected officials and nonprofit board members learn enough about financial management and budgeting to provide appropriate financial oversight. She has an uncanny ability to take a government budget document, the size of a phone book, and reduce it to a four page newsletter, often called a 'Budget-in-Brief'. Ms. Zenk has a Bachelor's degree from Santa Clara University, a Master of Public Management from the University of Maryland and is a Certified Public Accountant.