FOCUS Determination of the financial minimum in a municipal budget to deal with crisis situations Ales ˇ Kudla ´k 1 • Rudolf Urban 2 • S ˇ a ´rka Hos ˇkova ´ -Mayerova ´ 3 Ó Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2019 Abstract This paper offers an analysis of the mission and role of municipalities in the Czech national crisis management system. The paper clarifies the nature of population protection within the national security system accentuating resource availability. The significance of local municipal budgets as the baseline to crisis solution support within the administered area is discussed. The problem is not the system of budgets or the budgeting system itself at the level of local government. The key issue, however, is the determination of budget resources, which are primarily predetermined ex ante for the crisis pre- vention resolution phase. Current legislation does not address this requirement. The authors also point out the fundamental influence of local policy in the allocation of resources in the municipal budget in relation to their political preferences. Therefore, the authors of the article propose the calculation method for the standard minimum amount of financial resources allocated to coping with crises in the municipal budget at their level, as appropriate. The submitted proposal will contribute to guaranteeing a minimum level of preparedness for crisis management in ensuring the safety of all residents. Keywords Crisis management Á Population protection Á Resource allocation for crisis situations Á Municipal budget 1 Introduction Along with positive effects and activities, the evolution in our society also brings a number of negative distresses and risk factors. We are informed daily of ongoing natural disasters, industrial accidents, social, religious or ethnic intolerances, often connected to local unarmed or armed conflicts. The danger of various kinds of terrorism grows. Other kinds of threats also appear, resulting primarily from the usage of modern technology, biotechnologies, genetic engineering and implying health, social, ecological and other negative consequences. Public opinion drives policy, and public opinion is dri- ven by policy. These propositions are explored using eco- nomic developments, government budget policy and national security policy. The intensity of the relations between public opinions and politics is not direct. The intensity of the relationships varies according to the state of national security (Arian and Olzaeker 1999). Complexities of modern crises often require the involvement of many stakeholders from all areas of soci- ety. Efficient coordination is required due to the com- plexity of managing and resolving the situation. The need for coordination thus raises considerable challenges in public administration, because crisis management func- tions are often carried out below a national level, but are coordinated on a government level. The ability to cooper- ate and coordinate the managing of crises is a fundamental element of proper public administration, because it tests the government’s capability to provide people with appropriate answers at the right time in order to protect citizens and Communicated by M. Squillante. & S ˇ a ´rka Hos ˇkova ´-Mayerova ´ sarka.mayerova@unob.cz Ales ˇ Kudla ´k ales.kudlak@centrum.cz Rudolf Urban ubn17@centrum.cz 1 Ales ˇ KUDLA ´ K, Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, University of South Bohemia, J. Borecke ´ho 1167/27, 37011 C ˇ eske ´ Bude ˇjovice, Czech Republic 2 Rudolf URBAN, The College of Regional Development and Banking Institute – AMBIS, a.s., Lindnerova 575/1, 18000 Prague 8, Czech Republic 3 S ˇ a ´rka HOS ˇ KOVA ´ -MAYEROVA ´ , Faculty of Military Technology, University of Defence in Brno, Kounicova 65, 66210 Brno, Czech Republic 123 Soft Computing https://doi.org/10.1007/s00500-019-04527-w