General Fund Five-Year Forecast FY2010

If you’ve reading the news or listening to candidates lately, you’ve heard lots of talk about the budget and city finances.  Some argue that the process needs to be more transparent or that it’s too difficult to understand.  The City has a $100 million budget and it’s presented as a report that’s about the size of a phone book.  Although I’ve had classes in bookkeeping and financial management, most people will find it pretty easy to navigate and understand, especially at the high “30,000 foot” level.  With $100 million in both operating funds and capital projects to manage, councilmembers cannot and should not be counting office supplies or monitoring the phone records.  They need to have the big picture in mind to steer the ship–and we’re headed straight for an iceberg (while the Council is rearranging the proverbial deck chairs).

Indeed, to show you how easy it is to understand Rockville’s  fragile finances, take a close look at Continue reading →