Rick KermerAug 9, 20204 minThe Perfect Fiscal StormMy hometown is asking voters to approve a sales tax increase of 1.25% in November 2020. I know they need the money, but it is certainly a...
Rick KermerJul 12, 20152 minThe Legacy of FadsI started in local government when Planning, Programming, Budgeting (PPB) was introduced as a way to more effectively and efficiently use...
Rick KermerApr 12, 20152 minBudgetary PitfallsAs most of you are neck deep in your budget, we thought we would share some budgetary pitfalls that we have experienced over the years....
Eric JohnsonMar 17, 20152 minUse EIFDs to Improve your InfrastructureWe have written much in the past about the need to identify and cost out your infrastructure, partly to insure that the adequate...
Scott ThorpeAug 18, 20144 minYet Another Looming Financial DisasterLast November I wrote the above titled topic about municipal asset replacement programs for the RCS monthly newsletter, and here is an...
Scott ThorpeApr 22, 20143 minNo Reductions in Service“There will not be any corresponding reduction in service.” I have a close friend that I met during our University Public Administration...
Rick KermerJun 17, 20133 minContracting: The Good, the Bad, and the UglyGiven the renewed interest in contracting as a way to save money, it seems like a good time to review the experience of agencies that...
Scott ThorpeMay 21, 20134 minSurprises are BadDoes your agency have a Revenue Book and someone assigned as Revenue Czar? The Revenue Czar is charged with knowing everything there is...
Eric JohnsonMar 19, 20133 minDon’t forget about your InfrastructureA recent report by the California Statewide Needs Assessment Project, a coalition of local government groups, identified more than $82...
Rick KermerMay 17, 20122 minWhat can Police Officers teach Firefighters?In October of 2009, I wrote an article about what Firefighters could teach Police Officers. Thanks to an article in the Los Angeles Times...
Eric JohnsonApr 17, 20123 minBudgeting for OutcomesThere has been much talk lately in budgeting circles about Budgeting for Outcomes. In short, this means making an effort to determine an...
Scott ThorpeMar 19, 20124 minThinking out of the Budget BoxI’m at heart a “budget” guy. In the four cities I worked in as an employee (full disclosure, it was over 25 years ago) I was always...
Eric JohnsonJan 18, 20122 minThe more things change the more they stay the sameWe are living in a time of change. Redevelopment Agencies in their current form have disappeared. No one knows what the State budget will...
Scott ThorpeDec 6, 20114 minWe’re All In This TogetherLet’s jump into the “wayback machine” and travel back to 1975 when I was a 23 year old Administrative Analyst (i.e. “punk”) with a fresh...
Rick KermerOct 30, 20112 minSystemic Problems with Labor NegotiationsMany years ago, I audited a city in the San Gabriel Valley area of greater Los Angeles that was especially well-managed. One of the...
Eric JohnsonSep 22, 20112 minIt’s time to think about updating your Cost Allocation PlanIf you use a Cost Allocation Plan (CAP) to recover General Fund costs from your Enterprise Funds, then it’s time to start thinking about...
Scott ThorpeJul 26, 20113 minThe Costa Mesa ExperimentAs you probably know, the City of Costa Mesa has pink-slipped nearly half of its employees. Considering that as of yet none of those...
Rick KermerJun 21, 20112 minRethinking Animal ControlWhen our company started doing cost of services studies in the early 1980’s, it was routinely suggested that 50% of animal control costs...
Eric JohnsonMay 18, 20113 minTo Outsource or not to OutsourceIn these days of budget angst and woe you may be getting pressure from your elected officials or community to outsource services that are...
Rick KermerMar 23, 20112 minKeeping Budget Problems in PerspectiveI’m writing this on March 18, 2011, or seven days after the magnitude 9.0 earthquake rocked Japan followed by a four meter tsunami that...