“There is reason to suspect that ambition is a rather generic trait of advanced life. Almost regardless of what it is trying to maximize, be it intelligence, longevity, knowledge, or interesting experiences, it will need resources. It therefore has an incentive to push it’s technology to the ultimate limits, to make the most of the resources it has. After this, the only way to further improve is to acquire more resources.” - Max Tegmark, Future of Life Institute, MIT, Life 3.0
During the 2019 Annual PBB Summit, seven organizations were honored as the first to receive Resource Optimizer and Resource Maximizer Awards, including: Washington County WI, City of Shawnee KS, City of South Jordan UT, City of Branson MO, Scott County MN, City of Plano TX and the City of Kalamazoo MI.
Among the Resource Optimizer Award recipients were the first 5 organizations having demonstrated successfully that they have repurposed over 10% of their budgets, freeing up the massive resources required to launch new and high-priority services, as well as enhancing current programs that need to grow. The goal is to transition the aspirational concept of 10% budget repurposing from a “massive stretch goal” to something that everybody can achieve.
Repurposing is fundamental to resource stewardship. The virtue of repurposing recognizes that the funds provided by residents, businesses and visitors are not infinite; they are precious and scarce.
With a community’s resources being in limited supply, investments into every service and every project require persistent and thoughtful evaluation and prioritization. The act of resource reallocation is thus is a two-fold triumph: 1.) it finds the resources required to adequately staff and deliver services needed to provide for a prosperous community, and 2.) it finds these resources without asking taxpayers for more, by divesting and repurposing what has already been given.
It’s a mind-blowing milestone for the PBB community of implementers because most/many local governments don’t believe they could repurpose much of anything in their budget (they feel most of what they do, they have to continue to do, because it’s either mandated, or their elected officials insist on it, or their citizens demand it) — our first five organizations achieving 10%+ reallocation of their resources unlocks the potential that maybe local governments have more opportunity to free up readily available resources than they may otherwise assume to have.
The two Resource Maximizer Award recipient organizations exhibit an equally profound trait, the ability to seek new and creative ways to generate increased revenue, via cost recovery analysis, regional programmatic in-sourcing, and in Kalamazoo MI’s brilliant innovation a “Foundation for Excellence” inviting local philanthropic interests to fund aspirational investments throughout the City.
Resource Optimizer and Maximizer Awards recognize exemplary application of the PBB Blue Print: the program-centric framework for action, making resources readily available to fund a community’s most ambitious visions and tackle it’s most pressing challenges.
Resource Optimizer Awards: Recognizing those who show mastery in shifting resources away from programs that can be provided more efficiently for the same outcome, programs that are less relevant and could be provided at a lower service level (or sunset), programs that are performing poorly, or programs that could be provided with a partner, and repurpose those resources towards new programs that need to be launched, or current programs that need enhancement.
Resource Maximizer Awards: Recognizing those who show mastery in maximizing creative streams of incoming resources through cost-recovery opportunities, regionalization and in-sourcing opportunities, grant funding, opportunity zones, economic development, philanthropic commitments, and prioritization based taxation.
Congratulations to the first award-winning communities for mastering the two fundamental Level 2 PBB techniques on the 4-Levels of PBB Mastery scale of excellence!
Additional Links and Case Studies:
First Five Communities to Demonstrate 10%+ Reallocation of Resources
City of Littleton CO — applied PBB Blue Print for budget recommendations (to launch new programs, to enhance current services, to repurpose resources through efficiencies and service levels, and to generate new revenues through cost recovery.
City of Roswell GA — applied PBB Blue Print to focus on programs with cost recovery opportunities (see pigs 26–41 for cost recovery recommendations driven by program analysis)
City of Kalamazoo, MI — applying PBB to break poverty cycle, fuel resources towards Imagine Kalamazoo
Contact us to learn more about priority based budgeting. And register to attend our free Resource "Xploration" webinar on September 26th to learn how your organization can master Resource Optimization + Resource Maximization as well!
