Abstract
The national economic recession has created budget shortfalls for various levels of government. California municipal government has experienced significant declines in property and sales taxes. The City of West Sacramento is suffering this same fate. As a result, in November 2009 14% was cut from the operational budget of the West Sacramento Parks & Recreation Department. This forced the department to make hasty decisions to operate within the confines of their new budget. With the economy still very much in turmoil, it is vital that the department positions themselves in case they receive additional cuts. This study analyzes the situation and asks what are the best options for the West Sacramento Parks & Recreation Department to pursue in order to resolve the potential fiscal constraints that may be imposed upon them as a result of the current economic recession. Sources of Data: Data comes from the City of West Sacramento Finance Department, the West Sacramento Parks & Recreation Department and from media sources. Conclusions Reached: The results of this research show that there are some preferable options available to the West Sacramento Parks & Recreation Department to pursue in order to resolve fiscal constraints. Strong showings emerge for the department utilizing the alternatives of donations and gifts, using volunteers, and government grants. The strong showing for these alternatives relates to their top equity and political feasibility measures. It is surprising that the alternatives that produce the greatest financial benefits fare poorly in this study. These alternatives include raising taxes, closing the department, and cutting labor and services. This relates to their poor equity and political feasibility measures. Altogether, this demonstrates the importance of incorporating equity and political feasibility considerations into the public decision-making process. The broader implications are the applicability of this study to other park and recreation agencies, and even to other agencies of government. The results of this CAM analysis may provide useful insight into the tactics and strategies agencies can pursue in order to meet their fiscal challenges. Using this model, agencies can perform their own CAM analysis tailored to their own environment and realities.