Budget

The fundamental purpose of the City's budget is to link what the City Council wants to accomplish for the community with the resources necessary to do so. The City's budget serves as the City's financial plan, but it also is in a very real sense a policy document, a communication tool, and an operations guide. The budget communicates who we are and what we do, and is directed to a wide audience, including citizens, the business community, as well as the management and staff of the City.

The Finance Department coordinates the budget process of the City. Draft budgets are submitted by each City Department for every City program and activity and reviewed by the Executive Management Team. All budget information is compiled in a single budget document, adopted by the City Council, and serves as the financial plan for the City throughout the year. Additional appropriations are approved by City Council during the annual budget cycle, as warranted. Under certain circumstances, unexpended operating and capital appropriations from each fiscal year may be carried over into the following year as authorized in the City's budget resolution.

The budget document is organized to convey financial information by fund, operating department, and capital project. This format allows the reader to review the City's budget at different levels of detail ranging from an overview of the fund as a whole, to a specific department or capital project.

The budget for the current fiscal year and prior fiscal years can be reviewed in the archive center.