Process begins for crafting City’s 2008 budget

Community, employee participation important to developing proposed budget

The City’s annual budget process is already underway. Again this year, City budget planners are soliciting input from residents and employees to help formulate a proposed balanced budget for the City’s 2008 Fiscal Year (FY) that will be presented to City Council and to the community on August 16.

The City has initiated the Community Budget Input Dropbox program or “c-BID.” The c-BID is a forum for interested community members to offer suggestions on how the City can increase efficiencies, generate new revenues, or make effective changes to service delivery. Residents can submit their c-BID suggestion by visiting the City’s website at www.sanantonio.gov and clicking on the c-BID logo. They also may visit City libraries and Community Link Centers to fill out a paper suggestion form. Ideas for consideration for the FY 2008 Budget development process should be submitted by June 15.

City employees also are being offered a similar opportunity to contribute their suggestions through the Employee Budget Input Dropbox or “e-BID.” Additionally, employee focus groups, which include frontline employees selected from four departments, are being asked to identify process improvements that could increase efficiencies, generate new revenue or improve the delivery of services to citizens.

The City’s FY 2008-2012 Financial Forecast will be presented to City Council on May 16. The five-year forecast will provide City Council with an early indication of the City’s financial condition for the upcoming year and beyond and begins to highlight policy issues that may be included in the 2008 proposed budget. It is a component of the City Council’s goal-setting process for next year’s budget.

City Council meetings in July will be postponed to allow staff time to review budget recommendations and service delivery plans and begin to formulate the budget proposal for 2008.

After the proposed budget is presented, community budget hearings will be held in each Council district from August 20 to August 31. The hearings invite residents to learn more about the City budget process and offer ideas for improving the budget proposal before it is adopted by City Council on September 13.

On September 5, ideas from the districts’ hearings will be summarized with the City Council before a public hearing is held to receive additional public input on the proposed budget. Two other public hearings are scheduled for August 30 and September 6 to consider the proposed property tax rate for 2008.

For more details on the FY 2008 Budget schedule, visit the City’s website at www.sanantonio.gov/budget and go to the FY 2008 Budget Information link.
The City’s 2008 Fiscal Year begins October 1, 2007 and ends September 30, 2008.
 

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