Assignment
2:The Capital Budget
Due
Week 6 and worth 280 points
Refer
the Scenario for Assignments 1–5. Forecast salaries, revenue estimating, and prepare
the capital budget.
Using
the budget from the selected agency, write a five to six (5-6) page paper in
which you:
- Analyze the
agency’s compensation for employees. Provide a rationale on what the costs
and benefits would be for a 2 percent, 4 percent, or 5 percent pay increase
for the fiscal year 2014. In your forecast, (a) discuss the effects of the
increase on benefits for the agency and (b) provide a chart depicting the increase
for each percent. (Title this section Payroll Forecast.) - Review the trend
of the agency over the past five (5) years and prepare an analysis
explaining the trend for expenditures. Include a figure depicting the
trend. (Title this section Trend Analysis.) - Prepare and
explain a five (5) year forecast of the four (4) highest expenditures.
Make an XY plot of these data. Include
in the analysis whether the costs should be approved or not approved.
Justify the reasoning with examples. (Title this section Expenditure
Forecast.) - Compare two (2) options
for predicting the cost of needed repairs to the current building that
houses the selected agency by completing Exercise 1 at the end of Chapter
1 (page 92). Provide a rationale for recommending one (1) of the two (2) options.
Include the figures to support the rationale. (Title this section Capital
Budget.) - Provide names
and URLs of the Websites for the state’s budget(s) analyzed and any other
government Websites used to support the assignment’s criteria.
Your
assignment must follow these formatting requirements:
- Be typed, double
spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all
sides; citations and references must follow APA. Check with your professor
for any additional instructions. - Include a cover
page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the
professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the
reference page are not included in the required assignment page length.
The
specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:
- Analyze the basic skills and
tools needed for budgeting for public sector agencies and / or
departments. - Recommend appropriate policy
actions based on the evaluation. - Evaluate a budgeting system at
any governmental level. - Analyze the scope and sequence of
budgeting in terms of sources of revenues, purpose of government
expenditures, budget cycles, budget preparation, and debt administration. - Analyze the steps required for
budgeting, such as preparing a budget, making a financial plan, conducting
a cost-benefit analysis, and making budget decisions. - Prepare a preliminary budgeting
system for presentation before Congress, state / local government, or
other organization. - Develop various budget charts
that represent segments of the budgeting process. - Use technology and information
resources to research issues in public budgeting and finance. - Write clearly and concisely about
public budgeting and finance using proper writing mechanics.
Grading
for this assignment will be based on answer quality, logic/organization of the
paper, and language and writing skills, using the following rubric.