The sample budgets provided in the resources include an appropriate level of detail.
In some communities, this information will be in a single, lengthy document, as illustrated in the examples
provided in the sample budgets. In other communities, the materials might be in several documents in the
form of spreadsheets, policies on budgets, et cetera. Note: Spreadsheets will be insufficient for supporting
courseroom activities.
Many budgets for public sector departments are available online in either PDF or HTML format. As a rule,
the budgets are available by community (such as city, county, or state), but many have departmental
breakdowns for specific departments. For this assignment, identify a specific community budget you would
like to work with. The budget proposed must include departmental breakdowns. You are free to work with
the budget of your own community, as long as it can be made available for instructor review. You may
propose a budget for a nonprofit, as long as you can meet the same requirements for public departments
included in this assignment.
The budget documents for the state and federal governments are quite complex. For controllability, learners
are strongly advised to use the budget of a city, county, special district, or nonprofit. However, to make the
course more user-friendly and applicable to your individual needs, you may elect to use the state or federal
budgets, but you will be held to the same standards as those applied to those focusing on briefer materials.
If you do elect to use a state or federal budget, please identify a narrowly focused department. For example,
instead of using the Department of Justice as an agency of focus, use a sub-component of the federal
department such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation. If you have any questions about the suitability of
the department you wish to focus upon, please contact your instructor to discuss the issue.
As a general rule, private sector organization budgets will not be acceptable. However, exceptions may be
made if the private sector organization is providing a quasi-public function, such as that might be seen in a
not-for-profit hospital. If you believe you might wish to move in this direction, please contact the instructor,
discussing the organization you wish to propose. The instructor has the discretion to approve a private
sector organization if it will support both the needs of the learner and the framework provided by the course
competencies.
Explain why you wish to focus on this department or agency.
Review the Budget Selection Scoring Guide carefully before crafting your assignment, contacting your
instructor if you have any questions.