Page 3 - Manfield FY21 Budget

HOW TO READ THIS DOCUMENT

You are holding the published City of Mansfield Budget for the fiscal year beginning October 1, 2020
and ending September 30, 2021. This document has been prepared to help you, the reader, learn of the
issues affecting the Mansfield community. Many people believe a City Budget is only a financial plan.
Although you can learn much of the City’s financial portfolio, the 2020-2021 Budget Document has been
designed to serve other functions as well. The budget is a policy document as it presents major policies
that guide how the City is managed. The budget is also an operational guide that gives the public, elected
officials and City staff information pertaining to the production and performance of individual
departments. The budget is drafted as a communication device. Information is conveyed in a way that
should be easy to understand, even by those unfamiliar with the City of Mansfield.

THE BUDGET FORMAT

The Budget Document is divided into eight major sections: Introduction, Budget Message, Long Term
Financial Plan, Major Revenues, Goals and Objectives, Budget Summaries, detailed Financial and
Operational information on each of the major funds within the organization, and finally, Attachments.

The Introductory section contains a synopsis of the City in terms of the community and its demographics.
The City Manager’s Budget Message, addressed to City Council, explains the major issues and policies
that affected the development of the 2020-2021 budget. Next, the Long Term Financial Plan lays out the
City’s 10-year strategic plan.

The Major Revenues section explains where the City’s funding comes from, including property tax, sales
tax, and other sources of revenue. Goals and Objectives mirror the City Manager’s Budget Message and
describe the primary focus areas for delivering quality City Services to the community.

The Budget Summary section provides details on the General Fund and other individual funds, including
Enterprise Funds, Special Revenue Funds and Capital Improvement Funds. The City of Mansfield uses
the fund method of accounting. A fund is a unit that tracks the application of public resources. In this
section, financial statements are provided for each fund. The financial statement shows the beginning
balances, revenues, expenditures, and ending balances for the year.

Following the financial statements are narratives and illustrations that describe the major aspects of a
particular function within the City. The Financial/Operational section explains not only the City’s
organizational structure, but specific fund and department information as well. There may be one or more
departments that comprise each fund. Most interest is in the General Fund, which includes City
operations: General Government, Business Services, Police, Fire, Planning, Building Services,
Community Services and Public Works. Each department is presented with a mission statement, a listing
of the unit’s accomplishments for the previous fiscal year and operational objectives for the 2020-2021
fiscal year. Performance measures for each department are also provided, along with a summary of
funding and staffing information for each department for a number of years.

Finally, various attachments are presented in the back of the document that include adopted budget and
tax rate ordinances, top employers, a historical analysis of the tax rate, commonly used acronyms and a
Glossary of Terms.

Please contact the City’s Business Services Division for questions related to the 2020-2021 Budget
Document at 817-276-4262.

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