Commission Goal 9 | Great Falls, Montana

Goal 9 Remain financially strong.

A local government organization might be considered financially strong if it had the following characteristics:

It would live within its means, that is, it would provide services that are consistent with its ability to raise the revenues to pay for them.
It would raise fees or taxes only when necessary to pay for services that people want. Then it would do it in a way that is well-planned so that such increases could be kept as small as possible, avoiding the large increases that can result from failing to pay attention to business.
It would have savings accounts for its major activities to pay for unforeseeable emergencies or to make a transition to lower levels of service in the event of the loss of a major source of revenue or an economic downturn.
It would take care of its physical assets such as buildings and equipment because it is less expensive in the long run to take care of things as you go, so that they last longer, rather than having to repair or replace things earlier than necessary because of neglect.
It would have low levels of debt so that interest payments would not pose a burden on the taxpayers.

Operating in a proactive manner and making wise investments allows the City to maintain a financially strong position. City staff works to constantly maintain awareness of providing high-quality services at reasonable cost. The Commission and staff also work to reasonably propose fee changes on a timely basis to avoid financial and other consequences resulting from poor planning.

Truly a "low-cost" government, the City of Great Falls operates with financial strength and dependable resources because of its commitment to financial planning. Holding and managing various accounts for department savings allows for emergencies in that City offices can draw on extra resources or reserves if necessary. Holding these savings avoids any sudden need for drastic rate or tax increases and allows for fluctuations in service demands.

The City recognizes the need to spend conservatively while also recognizing the potential high costs of acting too frugally in the midst of a changing world and community. For example, the City chooses not to take risks with public safety by reserving resources for acquiring and maintaining such high-cost items as fire trucks, police cars, heavy equipment and other items.

Finally, during the past several years the City has had no tax increases and modest and well-planned fee increases, and it has used debt financing only where there was no practical way to avoid it. Very little tax-supported debt has been incurred; limited fee-supported debt has been used to repair and replace deteriorated water and sewer facilities and to improve the golf courses.