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The City of Portland, Oregon

City Budget Office

About BACs

Overview

Bureau budget advisory committees (BAC) are continuous working bodies that foster and utilize a high level of understanding about a given bureau’s programs and services and then actively discuss and advise bureau budget decisions.  Given this critical and intensive interface between policy-makers and the public, participation by community members in bureau budget advisory committees is one of the most effective venues for residents to provide input throughout the budget process.

Goals

  • To increase community involvement in the management of the City's resources;
  • To gain an understanding of City bureaus and the relationship between those bureaus and the needs of the individuals who access the services of city bureaus;
  • To provide recommendations to bureaus regarding goals, priorities, policies and budgets.

Roles

To recommend policy direction for bureaus and the City Council by:

  • Identifying and discussing bureau policies, as well as citywide issues;
  • Identifying and discussing activities and projects in which the bureau is involved;
  • Reviewing current service levels and determining if they should be continued or changed, including the allocation of limited resources and program cuts.

To contribute to the presentation of a budget that is responsive to community needs by:

  • Identifying the bureau's objectives and prioritizing budget items that need funding;
  • Obtaining input from residents about budget and policy items through review of community surveys and meetings;
  • Establishing and representing the community's priorities for the bureau;
  • Reviewing the current budget to determine if expenses and income levels are over or under the budgeted amounts.

To increase community access to the bureau budget process by:

  • Increasing community member participation in the management of city resources;
  • Providing an opportunity to link residents to elected officials and their staffs.