Assignment Content
Assume you are a City Manager and are considering a request by a citizen’s group to make all police officers ride in “two-officer cars” on every shift, every day of the year. This citizen group is influential in your community and generally has the support of several City Council members.
Assume the following facts:
Consider a police department that has 60 officers on patrol for each of three different 8-hour shifts every day.
Consider the cost of benefits for each officer is 20% of the officer’s hourly salary.
Consider the city does not have any room to spare in the budget for additional expenditures.
Prepare a briefing memo to the City Council that provides an analysis of a local government budget request to increase funding. Include the following in your briefing memo:
An analysis of how this funding request will affect the budget, which includes:
the necessary increase to the budget to meet this request, assuming the average officer salary is $30 per hour
the specific expenditures and from where the necessary revenues will come
A rationale for each possible decision that addresses the following:
Specific suggestions for generating revenue to cover the cost for two-officers per car staffing, with supporting documentation, if the request is accepted
The financial considerations for keeping the status quo, if the request is denied
Identify the stakeholders and analyze the political impacts of accepting or denying this request on each stakeholder group.
