The fiscal year of the city government shall begin on the first
day of October and shall end on the last day of September of each
calendar year. Such fiscal year shall also constitute the budget and
accounting year. As used in this charter the term “Budget Year”
shall mean the fiscal year for which any particular budget is adopted
and in which it is administered.
The mayor, at least forty-five days prior to the beginning of
each budget year, shall submit to the council a proposed budget and
an explanatory budget message in the form and with the content provided
by sections 41 and 43. For such purpose, at such date as he shall
determine, he, or an officer designated by him shall obtain from the
head of each office, department or agency estimates of revenue and
expenditures of that office, department or agency, detailed by organization
units and character and object of expenditure, and such other supporting
data as he may request. In preparing the budget, the mayor shall review
the estimates, shall hold hearings thereon and may revise the estimates,
as he may deem advisable.
The budget and budget message and all supporting schedules shall
be a public record in the office of the city secretary open to public
inspection by anyone. The mayor shall cause sufficient copies of the
budget and budget messages to be prepared for distribution to interested
persons.
At the meeting of the council at which the budget and budget
message are submitted, the council shall determine the place and time
of the public hearing on the budget, and shall cause to be published
in official newspaper a notice of the place and time, not less than
seven days after date of publication, at which the council will hold
a public hearing.
At the time and place so advertised, or at any time and place
to which such public hearing shall from time to time be adjourned,
the council shall hold a public hearing on the budget as submitted,
at which all interested persons shall be given an opportunity to be
heard, for or against the estimates or any item thereof.
The budget shall be adopted by the favorable votes of at least
a majority of all elected council members.
The budget shall be finally adopted as submitted by the mayor
or amended by the council not later than the 27th day of the last
month of the fiscal year. Should the council take no final action
on or prior to such day, the budget as submitted by the mayor shall
be deemed to have been finally adopted by the council.
Upon final adoption, the budget shall be in effect for the budget
year. A copy of the budget, as finally adopted, shall be filed with
the city secretary, the county clerk of Milam County, and the state
comptroller of public accounts in Austin. The final budget shall be
printed, mimeographed or otherwise reproduced and sufficient copies
shall be made available for the use of all offices, departments and
agencies, and for the use of interested persons and civic organizations.
From the effective date of the budget, the several amounts stated
therein as proposed expenditures shall be and become appropriated
to the several objects and purposes therein named.
From the effective date of budget, the amount stated therein
as the amount to be raised by property tax shall constitute a determination
of the amount of the levy for the purposes of the city, in the corresponding
tax year.
The budget message submitted by the mayor to the council shall
be explanatory of the budget, shall contain an outline of the proposed
financial policies of the city for the budget year and shall describe
in connection therewith the important features of the budget plan.
It shall set forth the reasons for salient changes from the previous
years in expenditure and revenue items and shall explain any major
changes in financial policy.
Attached to the budget message shall be such supporting schedules,
exhibits and other explanatory material, in respect to both current
operations and capital operations and capital outlays, as the mayor
shall believe useful to the council.
The budget shall provide a complete financial plan for the fiscal
year. It shall contain the following:
(2) A consolidated
statement of receipts and expenditures for all funds.
(3) An analysis
of property valuations.
(5) Tax levies
and tax collections by years for at least ten years or for a number
of years for which records are available.
(6) General
fund resources in detail.
(7) Summary
of proposed expenditures by function, department, and activity.
(8) Summary
of proposed expenditures by character and object.
(9) Detailed
estimates of expenditures shown separately by each activity to support
the summaries No. 7 and 8 above. Such estimates of expenditures are
to include an itemization of positions showing the number of persons
having each title and rate of pay.
(10) A revenue
and expense statement for all types of bonds and time warrants.
(11) A description
of all bond and time warrant issues outstanding, showing rate of interest,
date of issue, maturity, date, amount authorized, amount issued, and
amount outstanding.
(12) A schedule
of requirements for the principal and interest on each issue of bonds
and time warrants.
(14) The appropriation
ordinance.
(15) The tax
levying ordinance. The total estimated expenditures of the general
fund and debt service fund shall not exceed the total estimated resources
of each fund (prospective income plus cash on hand.) The classification
of revenue and expenditure accounts shall conform, as nearly as local
conditions will permit to the uniform classification as promulgated
by the National Committee on Municipal Accounting or some other nationally
accepted classification.
In parallel columns opposite the several items of revenue there
shall be placed the actual amount of such item for the last completed
fiscal year, the estimated amount for the current fiscal year, and
the proposed amount for the ensuing budget year.
The proposed expenditures for the administration, operation,
maintenance and capital outlay of each office, department or agency
of the city shall be itemized by character and object. In parallel
column opposite the various items of expenditures there shall be placed
the actual amount of such items of expenditures for the last completed
fiscal year, the estimated amount for the current fiscal year and
the proposed amount for the ensuing budget year.
Provision shall be made in the annual budget and in the appropriation
ordinance for a contingent appropriation in an amount not more than
five per centum of the total general fund expenditure, to be used
in the case of unforeseen items of expenditures. Such contingent appropriation
shall be under the control of the council and distributed by the council.
Expenditures from this appropriation shall be made only in case of
established emergencies as determined by the council and a detailed
account of such expenditures shall be recorded and reported. The proceeds
of the contingent appropriation shall be disbursed only by transfer
to other departmental appropriations, the spending of which shall
be charged to the departments or activities for which the appropriations
are made.