Page 158 - Haltom City Budget FY21

CITY OF HALTOM CITY aNNUAL BUDGET, FY2021 SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION

using the cash, accrual, and modified accrual methods of revenue and expenditure measurement.
Where applicable, the effect of these end-of-year adjustments for historical data has been reversed
to maintain the cash basis of budgeting consistently throughout the document.

CITY OF HALTOM CITY

BUDGET PROCESS AND LONG-TERM PLANNING

Overview

The Charter of Haltom City specifies that an Operating Budget be adopted prior to the first day of
the fiscal year beginning October 1st. The City’s budget preparation process is a seven-month
cycle, which begins in mid-February and ends in mid-September. The City Council, management,
departments, and the public have opportunities to participate in the preparation of the budget at
various stages in the process. Throughout the process, the City Manager presents reports delin-
eating particular areas of concern to the Council. The Council provides the direction and guidance
necessary to implement the goals and objectives of the City.

Preparation of the Operating Budget

In Early Spring, the Finance Department distributes a budget preparation manual for the upcoming
fiscal year. Departments submit budget proposals. During the months of May, June, and July,
the City Manager develops the recommended budget based on the policy direction received from
Council. The City’s Charter requires that the proposed budget be submitted to the Council at least
forty-five (45) days prior to the beginning of the fiscal year. This submission normally occurs during
mid-July followed by a series of public budget work sessions between July and August. The first
and second readings of the budget ordinance occur at the council meetings in August and Septem-
ber. If the city council fails to adopt a budget in final form before the first day of the fiscal year, the
city charter requires that the budget proposed by the City Manager shall be deemed to have been
adopted.

In preparation of the proposed budget, each department develops measures, objectives and de-
tails accomplishments for use in the budget. By identifying the goals of the department and com-
piling past and current workload statistics, the department is able to determine early in the budget
process which areas will require future resource adjustments. Departments prepare base budget
requests to continue the current level of service. Any new projects that the department wants con-
sidered for funding are submitted as prioritized budgetary items. The department must also submit
a prioritized list of budget reduction options. The consequences of not funding these items must
also be provided. A departmental budget request is comprised of a line-item expenditure request
that is supplemented with detailed justification. All requests for funding must be related to specific
project needs and must be measurable in terms of effectiveness and/or efficiency indicators.

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