ABSTRACT
Together, the two-volume budget offers an abundance of information on the performance and activities of each major program of government. The overarching goals of the Wichita budget, such as “promote a safe and secure community” or “ensure economic vitality and affordable housing,” serve as the main organizing principles for the information. Goals, in effect, form the basis of the major chapters of the budget. Program information appears with the relevant goal. For example, spending, performance, and other information for crime and fire prevention programs of the fire department, the police department, and the municipal courts appears in the section of the budget related to the goal of providing a safe and secure community. Distributing programs and their budget information by goal helps make clear how the activities of each program contribute to the objectives of a community. It can also make it difficult to get a picture of overall agency and department activities, as the programs of each are reported separately and may be distributed among different goals.
