| Course | MBAX 6431 Finance & Budgeting for the Public Sector |
|---|---|
| Week | Week 9 |
| Paper type | Forecast memo |
| Length | About 660 words, 4 pages |
| Format | Memo, APA 7 citations |
| School | Walden University |
| Program | Master of Business Administration (MBA) |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for MBAX 6431 Week 9
Memorandum
To: Finance Committee, Ashford Falls City Council
From: Budget Analyst, Office of Management and Budget
Date: October 12, 2026
Re: Five-year general fund forecast, base case and two scenarios
Conclusion
Under the base case, recurring general fund spending exceeds recurring revenue starting in year two, by about $5.4 million, and the gap widens to about $18.8 million by year five. A recession or a larger wage settlement would roughly double the gap at its peak. All figures are illustrative; Ashford Falls is the composite city used in this course.
Assumptions
Every assumption is numbered so that a committee member who doubts one can point to its line.
Table 1
Forecast Assumptions, Base Case
| Number | Item | Annual change | Basis | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Property tax | 3.0 percent | State cap on levy growth, assumed to bind each year | |
| 2 | Sales tax | 2.5 percent | Recent trend, below the long-run average after this year's shortfall | |
| 3 | State aid | 1.0 percent | State formula, with aid held near flat in the governor's budget | |
| 4 | Charges and fees | 2.0 percent | Fee schedule indexed to cost of service | |
| 5 | Other revenue | 1.0 percent | Franchise agreements | |
| 6 | Wages and salaries | 3.5 percent | Current labor agreements and their expected successors | |
| 7 | Pension contributions | 6.0 percent | Actuarial projection | |
| 8 | Health insurance | 7.0 percent | Plan renewal history | |
| 9 | Debt service | Rises $1.5 million in year two | Fire Station 4 bonds | |
| 10 | Other spending | 2.0 percent | Inflation | |
Composite city; all values illustrative.
Five Years in One Table
The gap is structural rather than temporary: it comes from spending categories growing faster than revenue categories every year, not from a one-time event. Revenue grows about 2.3 percent a year on average, held back by the levy cap and slow state aid; spending grows about 3.6 percent, pushed by wages, pensions and health insurance, which together make up about three quarters of spending (Mikesell, 2018).
Table 2
Base Case Projection, Millions of Dollars
| Year | Revenue | Spending | Gap | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (next year's budget) | 309.0 | 309.0 | 0.0 | |
| 2 | 316.0 | 321.3 | -5.4 | |
| 3 | 323.1 | 332.6 | -9.5 | |
| 4 | 330.4 | 344.4 | -14.0 | |
| 5 | 337.9 | 356.7 | -18.8 | |
Composite city; figures illustrative and rounded.
A Recession and a Wage Settlement
Two scenarios test one risk on each side of the ledger. In the recession case, sales tax revenue falls 6 percent in year two and stays flat in year three, fees fall 1 percent in year two and state aid is cut 3 percent in year three, as the state's own revenue drops with a lag. These assumptions follow the elasticity reasoning in the revenue analysis: the sales tax responds fastest, state aid next. The gap reaches about $12.0 million in year two and $29.8 million by year five. In the wage case, labor agreements renewed in year three settle at 5 percent a year rather than 3.5 percent. The gap is unchanged until year three, then reaches about $27.8 million by year five.
Table 3
Gap Under Three Cases, Millions of Dollars
| Year | Base | Recession | Wage settlement | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | -5.4 | -12.0 | -5.4 | |
| 3 | -9.5 | -20.1 | -12.3 | |
| 4 | -14.0 | -24.8 | -19.8 | |
| 5 | -18.8 | -29.8 | -27.8 | |
Composite city; figures illustrative.
What the Forecast Does Not Do
A forecast is not a budget. Each year's actual budget must balance, so these gaps will be closed by decisions the council has not yet made: spending reductions, new revenue, use of reserves or some combination. The forecast shows the size of the choices ahead. It also assumes current service levels and no new programs. The city's reserve, about $45 million, could cover the base-case gap for a few years and the recession gap for barely two, but using reserves for a recurring gap only delays the decision (Government Finance Officers Association, 2026).
Recommendation
The committee should begin discussing structural options this year, while the gap is still small, rather than waiting until year two. Kavanagh (2007) recommends that long-range forecasts be used to start such discussions early, when the choices are less painful.
References
Government Finance Officers Association. (2026). Best practices: Long-term financial planning. GFOA.
Kavanagh, S. C. (2007). Financing the future: Long-term financial planning for local government. Government Finance Officers Association.
Mikesell, J. L. (2018). Fiscal administration: Analysis and applications for the public sector (10th ed.). Cengage Learning.
Reading the MBAX 6431 Week 9 instructions
Week 9 asks for a multi-year forecast in memo form. State the conclusion first, since readers want to know whether trouble is coming. Number every assumption and give its basis, so a reader who doubts one can find it and see its effect. Present the projection in a single table and avoid repeating figures elsewhere at different sizes. Test at least two scenarios, one on each side of the ledger, and explain how you built them. Explain whether any gap is structural or temporary. Say what the forecast is not, and close with a recommendation about timing. Two to four pages in memo form, with three short tables, is typical.
Inside the MBAX 6431 Week 9 example
The memo states the year-two and year-five gaps in its opening paragraph. A ten-row table lists assumptions with their bases. A second table projects revenue, spending and the gap over five years, followed by an explanation of average growth rates and the three spending categories driving them, citing Mikesell. A scenario section describes the recession and wage cases and how they were built. A third table compares the gap under all three cases. A section explains that the forecast is not a budget and that reserves only postpone a structural choice, citing GFOA, and the memo closes by urging early discussion, citing Kavanagh. No figure appears outside the tables at a different size from the one inside them.
Reading the MBAX 6431 Week 9 rubric
Forecast memos are judged on transparency and on what the reader can do with them. The conclusion should appear first. Numbered assumptions with stated bases earn substantial credit, because they let a reader test each one. Projections should be internally consistent, presented once and labeled as illustrative where invented. Scenarios should be built from stated changes, ideally one on revenue and one on spending. Distinguishing structural from temporary gaps shows understanding. Stating what the forecast does not do, such as replace the budget, earns credit for honesty. Memo format and a timing recommendation complete the expectations. Graders also look for scenario assumptions that are explained as carefully as the base case.
Common MBAX 6431 Week 9 mistakes, and how to avoid them
Write your conclusion in one sentence before building anything, then test whether the numbers support it. List every growth rate you will use with a reason a committee member would accept, and number them. Build the projection year by year in a spreadsheet and present it in one table. Then change one revenue assumption for a downturn and one spending assumption for a cost shock, and report how the gap moves. Ask whether the gap persists in good years; if it does, it is structural. Students often bury the conclusion or hide assumptions in prose. If you want help setting up a five-year projection, send us your starting figures. Report the gap for every year, not just the last.
Get a MBAX 6431 Week 9 example written to your instructions
Pass on the forecast prompt with the rubric and any base-year figures or growth assumptions your section supplies, and the projection is built on those, returned in 24 to 48 hours with the first free. All rates and totals in this example are round illustrations, and the city whose gap it projects is fictional.
More MBAX 6431 papers and MBA samples
- MBAX 6431 Week 1: Public Finance Introductory Post
- MBAX 6431 Week 2: General Fund Revenue Analysis
- MBAX 6431 Week 3: Budget Cycle Memo
- MBAX 6431 Week 4: Expenditure Restriction Review
- MBAX 6431 Week 5: Plain-Language Budget Narrative
- MBAX 6431 Week 6: Budget Format Discussion Post
- MBAX 6431 Week 7: Budget Variance Write-Up
- MBAX 6431 Week 8: Fire Station Capital Request
- MBAX 6431 Week 10: Capital Request Peer Feedback
- MBAX 6431 Week 11: Final Public Budget Paper
- MBAX 6007 Week 9: High-Impact Remedy Analysis
- MBAX 6005 Week 9: Negotiated Change Proposal
MBAX 6431 Week 9 questions, answered
Where can I find a free MBAX 6431 Week 9 sample paper?
The five-year forecast memo and its three tables are on this page, free to read.
What does the MBAX 6431 Week 9 forecast conclude?
Recurring spending exceeds recurring revenue from year two, by about $5.4 million, growing to about $18.8 million by year five.
How are assumptions presented?
In a numbered table with the basis for each, from the levy cap to labor agreements and health insurance renewals.
What scenarios are tested?
A recession that cuts sales tax, fees and state aid, and a wage settlement of 5 percent from year three.
Why is the gap called structural?
It comes from spending categories growing faster than revenue every year, not from a one-time event.