Summative Assessment: Budget Proposal Strategy
Question
Summative Assessment: Budget Proposal Strategy
Step 1: Review Summative Assessment Instructions Carefully
Throughout this course, you will work on a budget proposal for a criminal justice agency of your choice. Most budgets have areas that are susceptible to challenge. Your task is to strategize a budget that addresses one such challenging area. This week, you research budget proposals to locate an example of a budget issue and then create a strategy to address that issue in the budget. In Week 4, you will incorporate feedback on your strategy as you create a final budget proposal. In Week 5, you will write a reflection on the budget proposal process.
Step 2: Research
As you develop a budget strategy and prepare to create a budget proposal next week, perform an internet search for templates and examples of the following:
• Budget strategy
• Budget proposal
• Cost worksheet
Research budget proposals from various criminal justice agencies. These are typically available publicly on the organization’s website or may be provided on request. In your research, look for trends in budget issues. Be sure to look at public sector funding and local and federal policies that impact budget planning.
Step 3: Selection of Budget Issue from a Specific Agency
Based on the budget issue trends you’ve found, select one budget issue that you’ll address in your own budget proposal for a criminal justice agency of your choosing.
Step 4: Create a 1,050- to 1,400-word budget strategy for a criminal justice agency of your choice. This strategy will inform the budget proposal you create in your Wk 4 assignment. Address the following in your strategy:
• Provide an overview of the budget issue you chose and why you consider this an important issue for your selected criminal justice agency to overcome in the budget.
• Explain how the budget issue might be different at a different level (i.e., state or local). Would it be applicable?
• Explain your approach to the budget issue. Address the following:
• Identify 2–3 suggestions on how to improve the budget issue.
• Explain how governing policies may affect your approach to the budget issue.
• Explain how public sector funding may affect your approach to the budget issue.
• Detail your strategy for compiling your budget proposal and how it will address the budget issue.
• Draft the cost worksheet that will be included in your budget.
Note: You may wish to organize this assignment in an outline format with tables to make it easier for you to transition information into your Wk 4 – Budget Proposal assignment.
Step 5: Cite a minimum of 2 peer-reviewed sources.
Step 6: Format your paper consistent with APA guidelines to include, at a minimum, the APA cover page, Introduction, level headers/titles for each required assignment discussion point, Conclusion, and Reference page.


Solution
Summative Assessment: Budget Proposal Strategy
The
criminal justice agency simply means court, police or law enforcement agency
mandated to perform administration of criminal justice, including community
supervision, pretrial services, and prosecution. The criminal justice agency I
will discuss is the Federal Bureau of Investigation, whose mission is to defend
and protect the U.S against foreign threats by enforcing laws in the country (Federal
Bureau of Investigation (n.d). Basically,
the FBI as a police agency has a budget that is strategically designed to
enable the agency to address the current threats in the country. For instance, given
the work that the FBI is mandated to do, it has numerous numbers of initiatives
that require enough budget for maintenance and development. More importantly,
the agency has a long-term strategic approach that allows it to best understand
the implication of its proposed initiatives.
In
financial analysis, budgeting is more than collecting revenue and expenditure
estimates. This is because the budget is designed to enable an organization or
agency to achieve its objectives. Basically, a budget is a systematic plan that
shows where money will come from, the amount spent, and what will be spent (Ryckman,
2019). Thus, by understanding various budgeting
formats, the FBI can improve resources allocation and develop short-term and
long-term plans for its future operations as a law enforcement agency in
America. Budgeting is an essential factor to the FBI agency; it helps guide the
daily decisions, resources allocation, and salary in long-term fiscal planning.
Although budgeting is important in keeping the agency progressive in service
delivery, the reality is that the process is not a straightforward task as some
issues are experienced at some point. Therefore, to identify the budget issues
that affect most organizations and agencies like the FBI, they need to look at
their expenses.
One
of the selected budget issues I would like to discuss is expense allocations. This
issue is important for the agency to overcome in the budget because without
limit allocation, the expenditure can exceed the budget allocated to the
agency, thus resulting in financial shortfalls. It is important for the agency
to understand how they use their budget allocation to ensure that the resources
are efficiently and effectively used. Moreover, the budget expense allocations issue
enables the agency to limit operating costs to the lowest possible amount to protect
the country's mandated objective. Basically, expanse allocations are an important
budget issue to the FBI because it enables the agency to know the amount of
money it needs to spend during the budget period. It is because if the budget
allocated to the agency remains on the ground that it is not spent, then the
next budget allocation will be reduced. The trend of expense allocation makes
an agency believe it is entitled to a certain amount of funding each year,
irrespective of its actual need.
In
addition, looking at my selected budget issue of discussion, it is evident that
it might be different at different levels. It is true expenses allocation of
State and local operating agencies are different; thus, the budgeting issue of
expense allocation is different at both levels. At different levels of the
agency, budget allocations might not be accurately estimated because
reoccurring expenses are not included in the budget at both the state and local
levels (Ryckman,
2019). This indicates that at different levels of
FBI agency operation, they should be modified so that each level can have a budgeting
allocation that satisfies its operations. For instance, to meet the expenses
and smooth running of the agency at each level, the agency needs to ensure that
it has routine monitoring of its budgetary allocations so that to ensure the
amounts budgeted are sufficient to meet the expenditures. The expense
allocations issue is different at each agency level because their expenditure is
different, thus identifying the specific amount of allocation in each level of
operation. For instance, with enough expense allocations, the FBI can address
the country's security by disrupting and detecting domestic terrorism across
the U.S. Therefore, it is evident that expense allocations might be different
at different levels because each focuses on achieving the same goal at
different levels of their operations.
The
expense allocations are a budgeting issue that needs a significant approach to
help the organization create a budget with consideration of the previous year's
expenditure. Expense allocations in budgeting ensure that the agency's
resources are effectively and efficiently used. Given the impact of the issue on
the agency's budgeting, there are different approaches that I have identified
to be essential in improving the issue. The first thing I have identified to
improve the budget issue is identifying spending requirements. As that means
that the agency has to outline all expenditures and financial obligations they
plan to cover with their budgets. This should include salary, inventory and
expenses (Bragg, 2022). Another way to improve the budgeting issue is choosing the right
budgeting method that best fit agency needs. With the use of activity-based
budgeting, the FBI agency will be able to calculate the exact total cost needed
to meet the agency's activities in each financial year. Also, determining funding
methods is another significant way of improving the expansion allocations of
the agency. By determining the funding methods, the FBI runs its programs and
initiatives because it has enough resources that are well allocated. Although
the three identified approaches can help improve the budget issue, governing
policies may affect the approach because they are adopted to clarify the
expenditure based on government allocation. Also, governing policies ensure
that budget allocated meets the agency's financial needs; thus, no other
expenses can be added without informing the government on the need. Moreover,
the policies also clarify the budgeting allocation and process; thus, it is not
easy the adjustment of expense allocation by the agency. More importantly, the
governing policies always have regulations and tax policies that the agency
needs not exceed in its budgeting structure. Consequently, the public sector
funding may affect my approach of improving the expense allocations because
they lack enough funds to cater to the agency's smooth running. Furthermore, the
public sectors include entities owned or controlled by the government; thus,
depending on them will lead to agencies' failure to meet their needs due to a lack
of funds.
Budgeting
is an important tool to any agency because it helps implement the plan.
Evidently, a budget proposal is an important document because it clearly
provides a financial budget plan that displays expenses and reasons for the
expenses. Therefore, given that I need to compile the budget proposal that
addresses the expense allocations issue, it will be significant to develop that
measure and indicate the agency's performance. For instance, the main reason for
compiling the budget proposal is to ensure it meets the agency's expenses; thus,
the first strategy is creating the objectives that ensure the allocated budget
meets the agency's needs (Bragg, 2022). In addition, given the FBI's main focus is
to address the current range of threats to the country while focusing on the future
needs of the FBI. Thus, for that need, I would ensure that the agency increases
its spending by expanding its services, thus sourcing for new financial
sponsors. Also, the budget goals should be focused on ensuring that it aids in
ensuring that the agency is successful in its operations. Also, I will ensure
that the agency's activities are controlled by management as that will help
meet the meeting and address the budget issue of expenditure. In addition,
communicating plans of how the budget will be used will help ensure that
everyone understands the plans, initiatives, and goals that the agency needs to
achieve at the end of every financial year.
Cost worksheet is an important element
to any organization because it helps to analyze components of cost in order to
show per unit cost of given products. The agency I have selected can meet its
goals with the cost worksheet by creating a strategy for each project.
Cost Worksheet (2020)
Details
|
Calculations
|
Amounts |
Intelligence |
1,884,335 |
|
Counterterrorism/counterintelligence |
4,077,574 |
|
Federal
Crimes |
3,480,715 |
|
Criminal
Justice Services |
620,504 |
|
FBI
Constructions |
51,895 |
|
Total
|
|
10,115,023 |
References
Bragg, S. (2022, January
24). Budgeting problems. Accounting Tools. Retrieved February 12, 2022,
from https://www.accountingtools.com/articles/the-problems-caused-by-budgeting.html
Federal Bureau of
Investigation (FBI) FY 2022 ... - justice. (n.d.). Retrieved February 12,
2022, from https://www.justice.gov/jmd/page/file/1399031/download
Ryckman, M. L. (2019,
April 24). What is a budgetary allocation? Small Business - Chron.com.
Retrieved February 12, 2022, from https://smallbusiness.chron.com/budgetary-allocation-31340.html




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