Glendale has clawed its way out of potential bankruptcy and built up a reserve fund of about $35 million. Now the city manager wants to develop a long-term plan to help end the cycle of crisis governing.
Officials recently started work on a strategic plan aimed at defining how Glendale does business across all departments.
If the plan goes forward, it would change how the city develops its budget, said City Manager Kevin Phelps. Instead of making across-the-board cuts or allocations, officials would base funding decisions on priorities that have measurable results.
“We want to make sure that as new revenues come in, that we’re able to prioritize how we spend those monies so that we make sure that we’re meeting the needs and demands of the citizens,” Phelps said.
Glendale can avoid making financial choices based on anecdotal experiences or personal bias by anchoring decisions in the city’s priorities, Phelps said. He expects the first part of the strategic plan to be done in six to nine months.
