"Best Practices" Budgets

Since the inception of this Web site in 2008, we have urged both Pottstown Borough and the Pottstown School District to publish budgets that explain the functions of each department as well as just listing numbers in line items. The budget is also an opportunity to set forth goals and objectives.

In January, Pottstown Borough published a 47-page budget document for 2017, which, like previous budgets, merely contained line items without explanations.

The school district's  published budget for 2016-2017 similarly lacks detail.

However, the Borough has published an amplified 2016 budget that does explain the function of each department, an analysis of revenue and spending trends, and a wealth of useful information about borough services.

We can only hope the school district will profit from the new borough budget when it publishes its 2016-2017 budget later this year.

Pottstown has also conducted the "Citizens Leadership Academy", a free ten-week course to provide a comprehensive overview of the inner workings of borough government.

The new explanatory budget and the Citizens Leadership Academy are low cost ways to foster efficient, transparent government.

Because the budgets do not provide a personnel breakdown, we are doing so.

 For Borough personnel costs, click here.

For the School District, click here.