For example, Congress may appropriate funds and direct a federal agency to establish rules for distributing the funds. The rules would not be statutory and therefore the distributed funds would be designated as allocations. The amount of money distributed by the Olympia Service Center to each Region for the purpose of constructing and maintaining the state transportation network. There is one allocation per Region per biennium. Everything else is a target amount.
Allocations are usually only for state and federal funds.
Special allocations are set up for local reimbursable funds. Allocations rarely change once they are established. The amount set aside within an appropriation for a specific purpose. The highway construction program is managed by the allotted amounts within each appropriation. These allotment plans are developed from the expenditure plan in either the Legislative or Operating Book, or may be based upon historical rates of expenditure.