Page 12 - Hurst FY20 Approved Budget

HOW TO USE THIS BUDGET DOCUMENT

The City of Hurst Budget Document provides comprehensive information about City policies,
goals, objectives, financial structure, operations and an organizational framework that shows
how City services are maintained and improved for fiscal year 2020. A main objective of the
Budget Document is to communicate this information to readers (Hurst citizens, the public and
other governmental entities) in a manner that is clear, concise and understandable. At the front
of the budget is a Table of Contents that will aid the reader in finding specific information quickly
and also provides a summary of the major topics. At the back of the budget, the "Budget
Glossary" will be helpful to a reader not familiar with governmental terms. After reviewing the
glossary, the reader should have a better understanding of the programs, services and resources
available to the City by reviewing the major sections of the budget in the order they are
presented. The Budget is divided into eight major sections: Introduction, Long Term Strategic
Plans, Budget Summary, General Fund, Enterprise Fund, Other Funds, Capital Improvements
and Appendix. Highlights of the sections are as follows:

INTRODUCTION: The City Manager's Budget Message should be read first. The
Message provides an overview of accomplishments for fiscal year 2019, and policy
decisions made during the budget preparation process that influenced the 2020 budget.
The message summarizes the contents of the budget with goals and objectives of the City
clearly outlined. In addition, the Introduction section contains a City Organizational Chart
followed by information about the City in the "Hurst Profile." The reader can read about
the physical location of the City, the history of Hurst, services offered by the City and
significant demographic information.

LONG TERM STRATEGIC PLANS: This section details the long-term strategic plans
developed by City Council and City Management. The City Council is committed to
setting goals and policies that are in the best interest of the citizens of Hurst. To assist
with this process, the City provides several opportunities for citizens to express the wants
and needs of their community. Each year in December, the city sends out a citizens’
survey for them to rate the performance of the City and make any comments. Residents
are also invited to attend the Town Hall Forum which is held each year in February.
These plans are used to shape the current budget and to prepare to meet future
challenges. Strategic planning is an essential component of the annual budget and multi-
year financial planning processes.

BUDGET SUMMARY: This summary section for all funds discusses the budget
preparation process that begins at the first of every year and formally ends in September,
with numerous steps in-between. An explanation of the financial structure of the City is
provided that shows how revenues and expenditures are reported by Fund, a self-
balancing set of accounts designed to track specific revenues, and the uses of those
revenues. A summary of all funds draws the operating funds and capital funds together.
The multi-year financial projections estimate revenues and expenditures over a five-year
period. Projections are made for the General Fund and the Enterprise Fund, which
comprise the majority of the City’s revenues and expenditures. The reader will see that
the majority of resources are expended on personnel costs, which are necessary to
provide quality services to Hurst citizens.

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