The Priorities of Government (POG) budget approach creates a strategic framework for investment decisions.
This zero-based budget approach starts with several basic questions:
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What are the results citizens expect from government?
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What strategies are most effective in achieving those results?
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How should we prioritize spending to buy the activities that are most critical to implementing these strategies?
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How will we measure progress?
This prioritization of activities is used to guide the Governor's budget proposal to the legislature, and to communicate that budget to the public.
What's new for 2011-13 POG
As part of Governor Gregoire's plan to transform Washington's budget, every agency has been asked to answer eight questions related to whether activities are essential to state government and whether they are being delivered in the most cost-effective manner. Agency responses will be considered as part of POG deliberations. For the 2011-13 budget, the POG process has organized ten POG result areas into six critical value statements.
Key Benefits of the POG Approach
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Helps focus on contributions to priority results - lets us escape agency "silos" and consider statewide strategies.
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Makes performance information more relevant to budget choices.
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Helps frame the question, "Are we sure we're buying things at the best possible price?"
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Helps characterize the state budget by describing activities and results.
The POG approach was honored as a finalist in the 2005 Innovations in American Government Awards sponsored by the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.