Budget Adoption

In accordance with the City Charter, the City Manager prepares the budget considering the adopted five-year financial plan and transmits the budget to the Mayor and City Council on or before the second regular meeting of the City Council in February. A date for a public hearing on the budget is set at the time the budget is reported to the City Council. This date must not be later than the second City Council meeting in March. The Finance and Governance Committee of the City Council will hold at least one public hearing on the budget ordinance. The committee may hold other community forums to receive input on the proposed budget. At the fourth meeting in March, the City Council adopts the annual budget. The budget ordinance requires a majority of affirmative votes.

Amending the Budget

The Council may pass ordinances that modify appropriations after the passage of the annual appropriation ordinance. The Director of Finance must certify that a sufficient unappropriated balance remains in the fund from which appropriations increase.

After passage of the annual appropriation ordinance, upon recommendation of the Director of Finance, the Council may, by ordinance, authorize the transfer of unencumbered balances appropriated for one department to any other department. An unencumbered balance appropriated for one purpose may be transferred to another purpose within a department upon the approval of the department head and subject to the certification of available funds by the Director of Finance. Additionally, an unencumbered balance appropriated to a department for a specific purpose may be transferred to any other department for the same purpose within the same fund upon approval of the respective department heads and subject to the certification of available funds by the Director of Finance.