The current $31 million budget year ends Sept. 30.
City Manager Don Hoyt will hand his proposed budget over to the City Council for its annual review by Tuesday. It is expected to be about the same as last year’s, according to Finance Director Danny McCullars.
As in years past, the members will likely be adding their own stamp to the document, such as through the consideration of requests from various nonprofit groups. The city doled out $448,500 to such groups in its last budget; they have requested $529,569 this year, even as the city’s finance department isn’t expecting revenues to increase, McCullars said last week.
The City Council has scheduled budget hearings on Thursday, as well as Sept. 1 and Sept. 8, all at 3 p.m. in the council chambers.
On Thursday, the council members will hear from local nonprofits and social service agencies about their requests. Sept. 1 and Sept. 8 are budget meetings, and all the meetings are open to the public. The first public hearing on the budget will be Sept. 13, and any changes the council members make have to be done by Sept. 16, Hoyt said.
“They have to make their changes, if they want to make any changes, before the 16th,” he said. “We’ll publish the budget on the 19th, and then on the 27th will be the last date that they have to adopt.”
The timeline is spelled out in Alabama state law in the Council-Manager Act.
The city manager is required to provide the proposed budget to the City Council at least 35 days prior to the beginning of the new fiscal year. A public hearing must be held at least seven days after it’s announced and at least 15 days before the new budget year begins. The budget year begins Oct. 1.
If the members do not approve a budget by Sept. 27, the city manager’s proposed budget will go into effect by default.
Star staff writer Laura Camper: 256-235-3545.
