Budget Development Process
The goal of the budget development process is to make the best use of available resources; comply with statutory mandates, policies and priorities; and in the case of the SFWMD, adhere to the Governor's Office guidelines for budget development.
The SFWMD uses a programmatic, outcome-oriented approach to developing and presenting its budget, which allows for a thorough review and understanding of major programs. It also allows for effective comparisons and choices regarding the allocation of limited resources among programs.
The USACE uses Authorized project Costs as a base for budgets. The Authorized Project Cost is the amount authorized by Congress for a project. The Authorized Project Cost will be expressed at an appropriate price level (constant dollars), which is escalated and converted to a Fully Funded (FF) Project Cost Estimate.
This two-step process consists of first escalating the authorized project cost to reflect the change in price levels from October of the preceding year to October of the current year. The second step escalates the project cost based on annual obligations, in accordance with approved schedules. This results in the Fully Funded project cost estimate.
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) releases inflation factors each year, which the USACE must use for preparation of the annual budget submission to Congress.
The USACE's official budget submissions are prepared two years in advance of the Budget Year (BY) and are not released to the public until the President of the United States has officially approved the budget.
The USACE's yearly budgets will be adjusted to reflect the actual funds appropriated to CERP. The USACE will share the yearly budget with the SFWMD as soon as the budget information is releasable to the public. The USACE and the SFWMD will work together to develop yearly budgets with both parties are in agreement.
The USACE and SFWMD will furnish one another with semi-annual budget reports. These reports will reflect the most current estimates of the total project costs and estimated yearly budgeted amounts for each project, broken out by phase. This report will serve two purposes. It will first reflect any changes in cost projections with an explanation for the variance or change. Secondly, this report will track projected workloads for both parties, while ensuring that the 50:50 cost share is balanced as required. |