University of Arizona Library Budgeting Process

Strategic Long Range Planning Team (SLRP) n Charged with developing the Library’s Strategic Long Range Plan, allocating resources to carry out the plan, and advising the Library Cabinet on consistency of budget decisions and budget policy, recisions and long term programmatic issues. home.html

SLRP Membership n Membership consists of a mix of classified staff, librarians, team leader(s) and student(s) to provide a diversity of perspectives for the team

Budget Advisory Group n When the SLRP Team joins with two members of Cabinet, the Dean and the Team Leader for the Financial and Administrative Support Team, the Budget Advisory Group (BAG) is formed n SLRP, functioning from this point on qua BAG, provides advice to the Library Cabinet regarding priorities for macro-allocation of the Library’s fiscal year budget, ensuring that budget and spending priorities are in line with the Library’s Strategic Plan

Getting Started n SLRP members attend monthly budget updates throughout the year n In April/May, the Budget Advisory Group works intensely for three weeks allocating the budget  BAG receives a Budget Overview  Teambuilding and Groundrules established  BAG charge is reviewed for clarification

BAG Charge n To recommend allocation of the Library’s resources to achieve the Library’s priorities by:  funding the fiscal year strategic plan  recommending the macro (Library-wide) budget allocations to Cabinet  recommending to Cabinet how to balance the budget or meet high priority strategic needs for the fiscal year through reallocation of resources, reassignment of staff, elimination of positions, or identification of new resources

BAG Charge n The Library must fund future development, for the most part, from within the existing budget n New needs must be identified and vetted against existing dollar allocations to determine how the dollars can best be used to achieve the Library’s vision and priorities

Budget Process Ê Receive packets of strategic requests from functional teams in the Library Ë Generate questions for the requesting Team Leaders Ì Meet with the requesting Team Leaders for clarification if necessary Í Use matrix to rank each request in order of strategic priority

Matrix Used to Determine Strategic Priorities

Budget Process Î Discuss the ranking of projects and decide by consensus which should be funded CONSENSUS = All BAG members feel they have had an opportunity to be heard and have agreed on recommendations that all members can support If consensus is not reached, BAG outlines for Cabinet the issues needing to be addressed

Budget Process Ï Midway through the process, budget requests are received from Annual Plan Teams Ð BAG discusses these budgets and if necessary brings members of the Planning Teams in for clarification

Budget Process Ñ SLRP members make decisions for the Annual Plan project budgets Library’s highest priority is to support the Annual Plan Projects (budget to the plan) All one-time money available, including the savings from vacant positions and potential funds from the base budget, will be allocated to fund the annual plan first These strategies have implications for functional teams Ò BAG presents recommendations to Cabinet and Library Staff