Strategy #12
Budgeting
Identify effective and responsible budgeting methods that provide funding for traffic safety and other critical services and personnel. Also, identify alternative sources of funding that can augment the agency’s budget.
Background
Budgeting often seems to be the bane of many executives. However, it is the budgeting process that ensures the agency can fulfill its critical missions. The brunt of unanticipated fiscal emergencies must not be borne on the back of the traffic safety budget.
There is an ongoing demand for agencies to provide selective traffic enforcement on roadways that experience a high number of collisions. Although these efforts should be properly budgeted, at times a department’s budget may not adequately support required enforcement programs, making external sources of funding necessary.
Actions
- Identify, justify, and prioritize the services currently provided and those desired, ensuring traffic safety programs are appropriately represented.
- Identify costs associated with services.
- Acknowledge units within the department that manage a fiscally sound budget.
- Stress the importance of sound financial decisions and fiscal accountability through ongoing training.
- Consider alternative funding sources, including the private sector, for traffic safety projects that cannot be supported by the operating budget.
Benefits
- Traffic safety is institutionalized within the organization.
- Additional traffic safety projects can be developed and implemented, reducing crashes, injuries, and fatalities.
- Properly prepared and utilized budgets instill confidence in the agency and its executive.
- Private industry receives various benefits when it contributes to traffic safety.
Other Considerations
- There are often ancillary costs associated with instituting new programs. These can include administrative hours, equipment maintenance costs, and overhead.
- Ongoing specialized training may be necessary for budget managers.