Horizons Spring/Summer 2021

At first, the remote working environment was a necessity in order to maintain social distancing; however, as time has passed, many entities and their teams have begun to see the benefits of working remotely, such as increased flexibility for both the organization and its teams. A remote work environment allows collaboration to take place quickly and efficiently through the use of technology, while neatly fitting around the many other tasks entities and individuals carry out throughout the day. The high adoption rate has allowed team members to work from virtually anywhere and, in many cases, has broadened the talent pool, as it is no longer a forgone conclusion that all members of a team must reside in the same city, state or region. Meetings are being held via numerous software platforms (Zoom/Teams/Meets/ YouTube), resulting in increased public accessibility, participation and transparency, as average citizens can now interact and attend governance meetings from the comfort of their own homes. Budgetary and strategic planning related to this new working style are likely to be impacted in the long-term by the pandemic. According to a recent article in U.S. News and World Report quoting a Pew Charitable Trust study and Moody’s’ Analytics projections regarding impacts of the pandemic on tax revenue collections, “Generally, revenue losses have not been as dire as feared at the pandemic’s outset,” wrote Barb Rosewicz, project director for the Pew initiative. Still, a national projection issued by Moody’s Analytics in February predicted aggregate state government general fund revenue could fall for three consecutive years—from

At first, the remote working environment was a necessity in order to maintain social distancing; however, as time has passed, many entities and their teams have begun to see the benefits...

The federal government via the CARES Act and American Rescue Plan has deployed hundreds of billions of funds in the form of grants and new programs that state and local governments must plan for, spend and administer. In addition to the utilization of the federal funds, governments are likely going to be faced with decisions about prioritizing the use of funds in areas that are new or changed as a result of the pandemic. For many, moving to a remote or hybrid working environment has highlighted deficiencies or gaps in information technology (IT) areas. Additional funding may be required to address long-term, IT upgrades in the form of equipment, software, personnel and cybersecurity. Governments may need more core IT assistance but also may require a savvy professional to navigate the virtual public interfaces. Along with internal IT considerations, the remote environment could impact the long- term physical space needs of an entity in the form of a potentially reduced footprint due to co-working/shared workspaces. Remote work may impact the broader local community, such as the community’s internet availability, reliability and capacity.

fiscal 2020 through fiscal 2022—with a combined revenue loss of about $100 billion.

While many governments were or are facing budgetary shortfalls, some also have other significant budget considerations to make.

Spring/Summer 2021

21