Well, it is budgeting time here at the City. Our fiscal year runs from October 1 of each year through September 30. It may seem early for this process since there are five months left in the fiscal year, but that is not the case.
The various departments actually start looking over their expenses and thinking about what projects they would like to accomplish or equipment they need to purchase in February. Then the department heads sit down individually in the following months with the City Clerk to go over their projections. These figures are then compiled, compared with anticipated income, adjusted, and a draft budget is prepared. This is the stage we are in right now.
From here the 26-page budget will be presented to the City Council in a Special Council Meeting which should take place on May 31. The various department heads each present their portion to the council The council will then review historical budget numbers, the budget, a three-year history of actual income and expenses, and averages, over the next couple of months.
The next step in the process is to publish the proposed budget in the newspaper for two consecutive weeks in August. Then in late August there is a public hearing to get your input for the income and expenses for the coming year.
After the public hearing, final adjustments may be made. Then the budget is formally adopted by the City Council. The City Clerk then presents the budget to the County Clerk no later than the second Monday in September in order for tax assessments to be prepared. Under current Idaho law, the portion of income generated by property taxes cannot increase by more than 3%. This is a safeguard for you, the homeowner, to make sure the City cannot get too carried away with its spending.
Once the budget is adopted, the City cannot spend any more than the amount budgeted without going through the entire process again. So, the City works very hard to make sure it is done right the first time. The budget, once adopted is reviewed each month line-by-line to ensure that income and expenses are within projected ranges.
This is actually a fairly simplified explanation of how the budgeting process works, but I just wanted you to know that a fair amount of thought and effort goes into this process.
In City business this week, Mike Campbell, our Public Works Manager, would like to remind those who are having yard sales to not staple flyers to light or power poles. The poles are treated to keep insects from burrowing in and doing what they do to ruin wood. Putting staples in the poles just extends a welcome mat to invite the little buggers to do their worst. So, please do not staple flyers or anything else to the light or power poles.
Also, Bill Taylor from the Water Department, would like to remind all of you who have automatic sprinklers to have your system backflow tested. The testing is required each spring to certify that water, once it goes into your sprinkler system, does not go back into the City’s water system and end up in the drinking water. If you would like a list of businesses that perform this service, just call City Hall at 208-414-1965.
Also, Ken Anderson of the Recreation Department would like to let anyone interested in working as a lifeguard at the City Pool this summer, to get your application into the City by this Friday, May 6th, at 5:00 p.m.
Well, that’s it for this week. Hope you are getting outside to enjoy your favorite springtime activities!
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