Sec. 6.01. - Fiscal year; definition of "budget year".

The fiscal year of the city government shall be established by ordinance. 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.

Sec. 6.02. - Submission of general budget.

The city manager, at least sixty days prior to the beginning of each budget year, shall submit to the council a general budget.

Sec. 6.03. - Estimates of revenue and expenditures filed by department heads, etc.

It shall be the duty of the head of each department, the judges of all courts, each board or commission, including the school board, and each other officer or agency supported in whole or in part by the city, including the commissioner of revenue, the treasurer, the sheriff, the attorney for the Commonwealth and clerks of courts to file with the city manager or with his/her designee for budget preparation, at such time as the manager may prescribe, estimates of revenue and expenditure for that department, court, board, commission, office or agency for the ensuing fiscal year. Such estimates shall be submitted on the forms furnished by the city manager's designee for budget preparation and it shall be the duty of the head of each such department, judge, board, commission, office or agency to supply all the information which the city manager may require to be submitted thereon. The city manager's designee for budget preparation shall assemble and compile these estimates and supply such additional information relating to the financial transactions of the city as may be necessary or valuable to the city manager in the preparation of the budgets. The city manager shall hold such hearings as he may deem advisable and with the assistance of the city manager's designee for budget preparation, shall review the estimates and other data pertinent to the preparation of the budgets and make such revisions in such estimates as he may deem proper, subject to the laws of the Commonwealth relating to obligatory expenditures for any purpose, except that in the case of the school board, he may recommend a revision only in its total estimated expenditures.

(Acts 1980, Ch. 78, § 1)

Sec. 6.04. - Contents and form of general budget.

The general budget shall contain:

A.

An estimate of such portion of the general fund balance, if any, at the end of the current fiscal year as it is proposed to use for meeting expenditures in the general budget.

B.

An estimate of the revenues from current ad valorem taxes on real estate and personal property during the ensuing fiscal year.

C.

An estimate of revenues from all other sources of revenue.

D.

A statement to be furnished by the director of finance of the debt service requirements for the ensuing year.

E.

An estimate of the city's general fund balance deficit, if any, at the end of the current fiscal year and of any other obligations required by this Charter to be budgeted for the ensuing fiscal year.

F.

An estimate of expenditures for all other purposes to be met in the ensuing fiscal year.

All the estimates shall be in detail, showing revenues by sources and expenditures by operating units, functions, character and object, so arranged as to show revenues and expenditures as estimated for the current fiscal year and actual revenues and expenditures for the last preceding fiscal year in comparison with estimated revenues and recommended expenditures for the ensuing year. At the head of the budget, there shall appear a summary of the budget, which need not be itemized further than by principal sources of anticipated revenue, stating separately the amount to be raised by property tax, and by departments and kinds of expenditures, in such a manner as to present a simple and clear summary of the detailed estimates of the budget.

(Acts 1980, Ch. 78, § 1)

Sec. 6.05. - Balancing of budget.

In no event shall the expenditures recommended by the city manager in the general budget exceed the receipts estimated, taking into account the estimated general fund balance or deficit at the end of the current fiscal year, as provided in the preceding section, unless property assessments have been raised or unless the city manager shall recommend an increase in the rate of ad valorem taxes on real estate and tangible personal property or other new or increased taxes or licenses within the power of the city to levy and collect in the ensuing fiscal year, the receipts from which, estimated on the basis of the average experience with the same or similar taxes during the three tax years last past, will make up the difference. If estimated receipts exceed estimated expenditures the city manager may recommend revisions in the tax and license ordinances of the city, in order to bring the general fund budget into balance.

(Acts 1980, Ch. 78, § 1)

Sec. 6.06. - Budget message.

The budget message submitted by the city manager 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 year in cost and revenue items and shall explain any major changes in financial policy. As a part of the budget message, with relation to the proposed expenditures for down payments and other proposed expenditures for capital projects stated in the budget, the city manager shall include a statement of pending capital projects and proposed new capital projects, relating the respective amounts proposed to be raised therefor by appropriations in the budget and the respective amounts, if any, proposed to be raised therefor by the issuance of bonds during the budget years.

Sec. 6.07. - Appropriation and additional tax ordinances.

At the same time that he submits the general fund budget, the city manager shall present to the council a general appropriation ordinance. The appropriation ordinance shall be based on the general fund budget but need not be itemized further than by administrative units. At the same time, the city manager shall also present any ordinance or ordinances altering the tax rate on real estate and personal property or levying a new tax or altering the rate of any other tax necessary to balance the general fund budget as hereinbefore provided. Nothing contained herein shall prohibit the adoption of an ordinance altering the tax rate on real estate or personal property or the levying of a new tax or altering the rate of any other tax, at a time other than when the general fund budget and general appropriation ordinance is presented to council, when necessary for the efficient operation of the city. The hearing on the budget plan as a whole, as provided in this section, shall constitute the hearing on all ordinances presented at the same time the budget is presented.

(Acts 1980, Ch. 78, § 1)

Sec. 6.08. - Budget, etc. as public record.

The budget and budget message and all supporting schedules shall be a public record in the office of the city manager open to public inspection after the budget has been made public by the city manager; provided, however, that no department or agency head or judge or board or commission shall divulge details of the proposed budget nor make public statements regarding budget estimates until the budget has been publicized by the city manager and made public by him. Provided, however, that nothing in this section shall be construed as prohibiting the city manager from discussing budget estimates with city council. The city manager on authorization from the council shall cause sufficient copies of the budget and budget message to be prepared for distribution to interested persons.

(Acts 1980, Ch. 78, § 1)

Sec. 6.09. - Publication of notice of public hearing.

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, which time shall be at least thirty days prior to the beginning of each budget year, and shall cause to be published a notice of the place and time, not less than fifteen days prior to the date of the public hearing.

Sec. 6.10. - Public hearing on budget.

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.

Sec. 6.11. - Action by the council on general budget.

After the conclusion of the public hearing on the general budget, the council may insert new items of expenditures or may increase, decrease or strike out items of expenditure in the general fund budget, except that no item of expenditure for debt service as required by law shall be reduced or stricken out. The council shall in no event adopt a general budget in which the total expenditures exceed the revenues, estimated as hereinbefore provided, unless at the same time it adopts measures for providing additional revenue in the ensuing fiscal year, estimated as hereinbefore provided, sufficient to make up the difference.

(Acts 1980, Ch. 78, § 1)

Sec. 6.12. - Adoption of budget.

The budget shall be adopted by ordinance by the votes of at least a majority of all the members of the council. The budget shall be finally adopted not later than the fifteenth 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, shall be deemed to have been finally adopted by the council.

Sec. 6.13. - Additional appropriations.

An appropriation in addition to those contained in the general appropriation ordinance, except for the purpose of meeting a public emergency as provided for elsewhere in this Charter, may be made by the council, by not less than a majority affirmative vote of the members present, only if there is an available funding source to meet such appropriation.

(Acts 1980, Ch. 78, § 1)

Sec. 6.14. - Reserve for permanent public improvements.

The council may by ordinance establish a reserve fund for permanent public improvements and may appropriate thereto any portion of the general fund balance not otherwise appropriated at the close of any fiscal year. It may likewise assign to such fund a specified portion of the ad valorem tax on real estate and tangible personal property not to exceed ten cents on the hundred dollars of the assessed valuation thereof or the whole or part of the proceeds of any other tax.

(Acts 1980, Ch. 78, § 1)