We have entered into uncharted territory in the way we do business in Baltimore City.  This week, I was joined by Maryland Secretary of Juvenile Services Donald DeVore, Councilwomen Sharon Middleton and Rochelle "Rikki" Spector, members of my cabinet, community association leaders, and engaged citizens at a neighborhood conversation to release the results of the City's first ever "Citizen Survey".  The survey, which will now be conducted annually, was initiated as part of the City's new approach to budgeting, called Outcome Budgeting.  Under Outcome Budgeting, the City first identifies what results matter most to citizens.  This data is then used to inform our budget process and ensure our spending decisions mimic your priorities. 
 
Our baseline survey results show that we are on the right track. The majority of citizens, 63.2%, indicated they are satisfied or very satisfied with city services.  However, the survey has also clearly defined areas where we still need to improve.  
 
Many of these areas are ones we are already prioritizing-safety, abandoned housing, rat removal, cleanliness.  However, the survey has enabled us to solidify the blueprint for our City's journey to success.  There are six objectives that have been identified to drive our budget process going forward:

• Make Baltimore a safer City
• Make Baltimore a Cleaner, Greener, and more sustainable City
• Build Strong, Healthy, and Educated Children and Families
• Strengthen Baltimore's Economy and Create Economic and Cultural Opportunities for All Residents
• Cultivate, Stable, Vibrant, Livable, Neighborhoods
• Make Baltimore Government more innovative, efficient, and customer friendly

This is a major overhaul of our budget process.  In the past, agency budgets were pretty standard.  Each year agencies would be allocated a budget based on what they received the year before.  As our overall budget increased or decreased, the agency's budget typically increased or decreased by the same percentage.
 
Now, through outcome budgeting, agencies will demonstrate how each dollar they receive will maximize the return on citizen investment by focusing on delivering the results of the objectives citizens help shape.  Agencies will be rewarded for leveraging private and non-profit partnerships, finding the most effective ways to spend our limited resources, and clearly demonstrating their ability to have a measurable, positive impact on our objectives.   This year's survey will serve as a baseline to measure our agencies' success in achieving these results from year to year.  This process not only ensures transparency and accountability, it will also breed innovation and creativity. 
 
This is the first step of a completely new way of doing business in the City.  It will force us to critically examine every dollar we spend and ensure that we are maximizing our return on taxpayer dollars.  It is the beginning of a journey that will force us to step outside of our comfort zone and even lose sight of familiar shores, but I am confident that this is the path to our City's greatest potential.
  
To view the survey results or to learn more about outcome budgeting, click here.  As always, I encourage your feedback.