The North Carolina Department of Transportation, Public Transportation Division (NCDOT/PTD) intends to take performance measurement and benchmarking at NC public transportation systems to the next level performance-based budgeting (PBB). This intention is driven by the Division’s goal to continuously improve the performance of these transit systems and to help direct public funding toward programs and services that best achieve desired results. In addition, NCDOT/PTD¿s goal is to provide good stewardship of local, state and federal public funding dollars.
PBB is a management and budgeting system used by many state, county and local governments as well as by the federal government to link budgetary decision making with performance. It is designed to integrate the allocation of budget resources with the achievement of agency goals and objectives based on measurable performance results.
The objectives of this study were to:
- Extend the concept of performance measurement and benchmarking into transit agency budgeting practices.
- Evaluate the use of PBB in various public transportation and governmental agencies.
- Develop a PBB process for use by the public transportation agencies in North Carolina.
- Produce a guidebook to help the agencies conduct performance-based budgeting.
Anticipated benefits from the use of PBB include:
- A closer linkage between agency goals and objectives, performance, and budgetary decision making and resource allocation.
- Enhanced ability to improve individual transit system performance.
- Increased accountability for the use of public funds.
