CDS Finance Bill

[Arria Perreault]

Proposal

1. The Executive Branch presents to the RA a budget with all incomes and expenses not later than the 2nd month of the current term.
2. The Executive Branch presents a report about CDS finance of the former term not later than the 2nd month of the current term. The report is published on the CDS Portal.
3. The Executive Branch creates a Financial Commission. This Commission helps the Executive Team to make the budget and the final financial report of the term. The Treasurer is member ex officio of the Financial Commission.

About the second report, I think Sudane has provided a good model.

This proposal is here for an open discussion. The RA will start the discussion today, but not vote.

[solomon mosely]

it seems 1/3 of the way into the term of a 6 month term, is far too too long to go without a report of the previous term and to propose a budget for the current.

given the consistency of reporting and the brevity of each term, does it really take two months to generate a report of the previous 6 months? if so, we need to revisit some of the record keeping and database management.

and if someone is going to run for the executive position, i would expect them to be designing a budget prior to the election and taking office. in fact, i would prefer to know who they intend to put on their financial commission prior to the election.

[Rose Springvale]

i agree Solomon. I think the Chancellor should propose a budget at the first meeting after election.

[solomon mosely]

great, i thought that would be too soon, but you're far more familiar with the executive branch than i am, so sure, why wait? the meetings are every two weeks now anyway (which i think is too far apart given the snail's pace action moves at in cds anyway), so that seems more reasonable.

[Arria Perreault]

Here is the text of the Bill after a discussion in the last RA meeting (25 April). It will be voted on the next meeting. The RA is waiting for citizen's feedbacks.

1. The Executive Branch presents to the RA a budget with all incomes and expenses not later than the 2nd month of the current term.
2. The Executive Branch presents a report about CDS finance of the former term not later than the 2nd month of the current term. The report is published on the CDS Portal.
3. The Chancellor and the Treasurer recommends to the RA the members of the Financial Committee. The RA approves the members of the Committee. This Committee helps the Executive Team to make the budget and the final financial report of the term.

[solomon mosely]

ok, great. i see your point arria. thank you.

my feedback, as a citizen, on the finance bill that i hear was proposed on sunday april, 25 at the last RA meeting and will be voted on at the next RA, pending citizen's feedback, would be that the 2 months time given as the deadline for the submission of the budgets mentioned in bill item numbers 1 and 2, is too long to wait for the submission of these documents. i say they should be shortened to, as rose suggested two weeks (the next RA meeting) after the meeting in which the chancellor is appointed.
that said, whoever is running for chancellor should understand the expectations prior to running for office and consider their ability to produce them within the appointed time line.

if there is reason to accept 2 months, 1/3 of the duration of the term, as an appropriate amount of time to wait for a financial report on the prior term and a financial plan for the remainder of the current term, which would then be 4 months, i would appreciate hearing it here.
the deadline above still doesnt take into account the fast-track of RA debate on the details of the proposed budget, before implementing any of it. i would suggest that the author of the proposed budget take that debate time into account when drafting it. maybe plan budget for a 2 1/2 - 3 month period.

[Jamie Palisades]

When I joined the government we seemed to have no official produced for this. Sudane and I worked together to bring some budget slides and information to the RA. Even though the first meeting like that was non quorate, the material was posted to the web and people seemed to like it.
The current state of law seems to be that an approved budget is useful, but not required. Arria's proposal adds the requirement that a Chancellor bring the budget to the RA for a vote of approval.

I suggest that if you do that, you may wish to be clear about three things in that law:

• (a) What happens if no budget is provided, or approved? Do we stop spending? Or just keep using last term's budget?

• (b) By when must the chancellor bring a budget? (Please have some mercy on a new elected person, and do not make it the first meeting after their election!)

• (c) Can the RA change the budget in any way? Or only in limited ways? By what vote? If the 6-member Wienerschnitzel Coalition wants to change the budget to command that half of the term's CDS income, plus all of CDS reserves, must be spent on schnitzel at the inaugural ball, can they do that by a vote of 6-5?

Regards JP

[Soro Dagostino]

Or it can be done like in California -- everyone has an axe they want ground with the money of the body. So much so, so shrill the call, nothing gets done.
Thus the state with a budget larger than all of but 20 nations, can't pay its bills on time.

Must have been a lot of Greeks who moved to Cali . . . Watch out when it becomes the Spanish folk!

But therein lies the problem. Budget = thoughts about the financial welfare of the State. The State must have funds to operate and carry out the policy enacted by the legislative body. The key is that it is the budget of the state -- not some thieving shill who spends it on exclusive events that do not include all the population of CDS.

A financial plan must be that -- a "plan" -- well thought out and endorsed by the members of the body politic. The Chancellor has to have the time [at least during his/her's first term] to present a well thought out program with the help of a working party of the Body, that can help guide the process -- and explain the issues to members of the Body. Secrecy and hidden agenda's have no place in this process.

[solomon mosely]

how about something where the chancellor, at the first meeting they are chosen, announces who they would want on their finance committee, others of the RA, or even not on RA, can stand to be on it, and the RA votes on them (4 of them?) at the following meeting, which would be the chancellor's first meeting as chancellor. that would be a fine day to have the first committee meeting, the chancellor can present an outline some first draft to the RA, for some feedback, and begin working on it at the committee meeting following the RA. - that's one month into the term, 5 left.

RA holds a special, public finance meeting with the committee the following weekend, discuss details and issues. the following weekend the RA votes on it.

worst to worst, it goes on for another week and there's a financial meeting the next weekend with public and ra can hopefully voe then. and then, if its still dragging on, the RA has to have it approved my the following week.

so the absolute deadline for an approved budget is 2 months. in the meantime, the previous term's budget is followed. if the ra still can't approve a budget by the two month deadline, the previous budget is followed.

does this put pressure on the current ra to create its own plan or otherwise get forced to use the previously approved budget of the last term?

what should the voting ratio be?

[Gwyneth Llewelyn]

I'd like to second Jamie on his questions, and suggest that we add a further point:

4. Until a new budget is approved, the last approved budget remains in place.

I feel tempted to suggest that the report ought to be presented a month after the elections, giving the Treasurer a month to prepare it and the new Executive a month to propose a new budget after the report is presented.

[solomon mosely]

i don't think this has been settled yet, has it?

i think it would be good, to allow a change of the budget, in the event of facing continuance of a plan based on inaction.

is there any problem in allowing an RA member, or anyone else, to propose a new budget by some point? say, if the chancellor doesnt have a budget to propose by the RA meeting agreed upon as the deadline, a new one can be offered for consideration by the RA.

and i'm still bothered to see a two month deadline to even start the process of debating a bill, facing the potential of it not being passed, bringing another bill forward, debating that, tabling for time to research something, someone's kid is sick so they couldnt be there and it waits another two weeks for the next meeting... it really could drag on for half a term.
so i guess, to address one of jamie's questions, yes, i think the RA should be able to negotiate changes with the chancellor before passing it, in any way.

and
does it really take a full month to generate a report for the previous 6 months? if that's the case, what needs to be done to expedite that process?

jamie, do you have any suggestions for dealing with a Wienerschnitzel Coalition situation?