The fiscal year shall begin on the first day
of January in each year and end of the 31st day of December.
To enable the Mayor to prepare the proposed budget, the head of every department and agency, except the Water Department, not later than the 16th day of August of each year shall file with the Mayor and with the Commissioner of Finance estimates in writing, specifying in detail the amount and objects of expenditures required in their respective departments or agencies during the ensuing fiscal year, including a statement of each of the salaries of officers and employees of such departments and agencies together with a statement of estimated revenues, if any, to be received in such ensuing fiscal year. The Commissioner of Finance on or before the first day of October of each year shall file with the Mayor a confirmation or modification of estimates of revenue submitted to him, a statement of other requirements, and such other information in writing as may be required of him by the Mayor. On or before the 16th day of October of each year, the Mayor shall prepare and submit to the Common Council the proposed budget including itemized statements of the estimated revenues and expenditures of the city for the next ensuing year, and also the operating budget presented by the Board of Water Commissioners. The Mayor shall present to the Common Council along with such budget, a budget message. On or before the first day of November of each year, the Common Council shall accept the proposed budget as submitted by the Mayor or make such modifications thereof as it may desire, except as restricted by §
C-66 of this Charter, and on or before said date shall file such proposed budget or modification thereof with the City Clerk and the Commissioner of Finance, which statement, when filed, shall be known as the preliminary budget. The preliminary budget shall be a public record and shall be available for inspection by the general public at the office of the City Clerk. On or before the fifth day of November of each year, the Common Council shall fix a date, time and place for a public hearing on the preliminary budget before the Common Council and direct the Clerk to give public notice thereof at least five (5) days before the date of such hearing in the official newspaper of the city.
The Common Council shall meet on the date, at
the time and at the place fixed for the purpose of holding the public
hearing on the budget. Such hearing shall be held and completed before
the 16th day of November of each year. At this hearing all persons
desiring to be heard in relation to the budget shall be heard. However,
the Common Council may establish rules of procedure for such public
hearings and such rules may provide limitations on the time allocated
to any speaker.
The Common Council, at a regular or special meeting held after the public hearing but not later than the 10th day of December, shall by resolution adopt, or amend and adopt, the budget, except as restricted by §
C-66 of this Charter, which budget when adopted shall thereupon become the annual budget of the city for the ensuing fiscal year. At the same meeting at which the annual budget is adopted, the Common Council shall adopt a resolution appropriating the various amounts in the budget as approved for the departments and agencies of the city, and for the several purposes specified in the budget. In the event that the Common Council shall fail to adopt a budget on or before the 10th day of December, the preliminary budget, with such changes, alterations and revisions as shall have been made by the Common Council, shall constitute the budget for the ensuing fiscal year.