2011-02-23 CC Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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Ap tication Questions: Budget As Chief of Police for the City of Whitewater, Wisconsin, I am responsible for developing and managing a comprehensive 3.2 million dollar budget. Our budget includes the patrol, administration, investigative, dispatch .(a mufti jurisdictional public safety communications center), community service, and the emergency management components of the organization. I have experience in every facet of our budget process including planning and preparation, presentation, analysis, expenditure review, and equipment procurement. , I have made every effort to be inelusive and collaborative in the construction of our budgets and mindful of the budgetary constraints of our City. Every member of our Department, both sworn and civilian, has the opportunity to submit ideas and recommendations (with justifications) for our annual budget. Although 1 work very closely with my Command Staff, Office Manager, and Finance Director in the formulation of our budget, the ultimate responsibility for budget preparation, presentation, and monitoring are mine. With continued loss in State shared revenues our budget process has become critical to the future of our Department and has been one of our greatest challenges. We operate in a very fiscally conservative environment here and e have responded by wisely managing our � resources. At the same time, we have always prided ourselves in delivering quality, highly �, professional, and cost-effective safety service to our community no matter what the budgetary � constraints have been. For example, we have civilianized certain functions within our Department, established close working relationships and shared resources with other law enforcement agencies, utilized interns and para-professional civilians, maximized our use of certain equipment and training, and sought internal efficiencies; all in an efFort to keep costs down. This approach to policing, organizational management, and budgeting have helped to make things more palatable for us in economic hard times. I believe that my leadership, philosophy of policing, and approach to budget management has helped see us through some very lean budgets and on-going economic constraints. My role has been to seek the input of my staff in constructing budgets, listening to the suggestions vf our personnel, and developing a sense of teamwork in meeting adversity and challenge. I have made every effort to be interactive and inclusive in making tough decisions concerning budgetary matters. In summary, I have been mindful of the budgetary challenges of our City while at the same time finding ways to deliver qua(ity, cost-effective safety services to our community. No matter 81