Counties may be the level of government that gets the least attention. But, in fact, they invest over $743 billion annually and provide services like health care and aspects of corrections that don’t necessarily fall into the purview of cities or states.

But how to know whether these dollars are being spent effectively? Results for America has developed a clear and important approach in a new report titled  “County Evidence-Based Consulting Guide.”

It is, as the organization explains, “designed to help county leaders invest in what works and ensure taxpayer dollars to achieve results their communities count on.”

The Guide states that, “While there are a wide variety of approaches to county budgeting in use across the nation, all of them can be enhanced through the use of evidence. Once a definition of evidence has been established, it can be used to focus funding decisions on evidence-based programs. To formalize the use of information relevant for improving outcomes in the budgeting process, counties must incorporate evidence into their budget development and reporting processes, which requires training and educating county staff involved in the budget process as well as decision makers that will be reviewing information”. 

This approach can be boiled down into five straightforward steps, according to Results for America: 

• Establish a definition of evidence

• Implement budget instructions and templates that collect evidence information

• Establish guidelines, goals or targets for the use of evidence

• Provide evidence indicators in public budget documents

• Report on budget decisions made for evidence-based interventions 

As Zachary Markovits, Vice President & Local Practice Lead of Results for America, told us, “Budgeting with evidence isn’t just a best practice—it’s a necessity in today’s climate of fiscal constraints and rising public expectations. When leaders use evidence of what works to make decisions, they can prioritize the outcomes that matter to them, protect core services, and build trust with their communities. Especially now, with every dollar under scrutiny, evidence ensures we invest in impact, not inertia”.

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