Chairman’s Corner: Zero-Based Budgeting Won’t Be Easy

Last week, “Concerned Citizen” asked the question, “How can a government of this size use real zero-based budgeting? ... Without a plan and without extensive training of all employees … your idea will certainly fail.”

I certainly share much of Concerned Citizen’s concern regarding the difficulty of applying “zero-based budgeting” (ZBB) to our county finances. I’m under no illusions that the process of this disciplined approach will take two to three years of budget cycles.

I used the term ZBB almost generically for a process that involves …

1. Looking at what each department and elected office does in terms of specific functions.
2. Assessing whether each function is a statutory mandate (required to be done by law), a practical mandate (must be done or people are hurt or the place falls apart), or something we want to do if funds are available.
3. Getting the best handle on what those functions cost.
4. Prioritizing these functions with the associated costs.

Eventually, we should also determine what the performance measurements are for each function and what level is poor, fair and good.

If I’m not being overly optimistic, the next management best practices would be L.E.A.N. work process mapping and Baldrige Award quality standards.

I believe that our management team and frontline staff are committed to serving our citizens as well as possible. A hybrid approach of these fundamentally-sound management practices can be adapted for county government of our scale.

For the sake of Kane County taxpayers, I hope that Concerned Citizen’s conclusion that, “our idea will certainly fail,” proves to be inaccurate.