(a) The Mayor shall submit to the Board of Supervisors each year a proposed biennial budget, ordinances and resolutions fixing wages and benefits for all classifications and related appropriation ordinances.
(b) The proposed biennial budget shall include:
1. Estimated revenues and surpluses from whatever sources, to the extent feasible, for the forthcoming two fiscal years and the allocation of such revenues and surpluses to various departments, functions and programs to support expenditures. Proposed expenditures may include such necessary and prudent reserves as recommended by the Controller; and
2. A summary of the proposed biennial budget with a narrative description of priorities, services to be provided and economic assumptions used in preparing the revenue estimates.
(c) The proposed biennial budget and appropriation ordinances shall be balanced for each fiscal year so that the proposed annual expenditures of each fund do not exceed the estimated annual revenues and surpluses of that fund. If the proposed budget contains new revenue or fees, the Mayor shall submit to the Board of Supervisors the relevant implementing ordinances at the same time the biennial budget is submitted.
(d) Until the appropriation ordinances are adopted by the Board of Supervisors, the Mayor may submit to the Board of Supervisors revisions to the proposed biennial budget, appropriation ordinances, and ordinances and resolutions fixing wages and benefits.
The Mayor may instruct the Controller to prepare the draft appropriation ordinances.
(e) The Mayor shall file a copy of the proposed biennial budget at the Main Library and shall give notice of the budget summary, including making copies available to the public. Upon final approval of the budget by both the Board and the Mayor, notice shall be given of the final budget summary.
(f) The Board of Supervisors by ordinance may require multi-year budget plans and other budget planning strategies to be performed by the several departments and offices of the City and County.
(g) No later than February 1 of any even-numbered fiscal year, the Mayor and the Board of Supervisors by resolution may determine that the upcoming budgetary cycle or cycles for some or all City departments and offices shall be a fixed budgetary cycle or cycles in which the biennial budget will remain in effect for two fiscal years. With respect to the designated City departments and offices, the Board will not adopt a new budget for the second fiscal year of such fixed budgetary cycle or cycles, except as provided in subsection (h), below. But the City shall adjust the biennial budget for the second year of any fixed budget cycle if certain conditions exist, using the following process:
1. If, during the first year of any fixed budgetary cycle, the Controller projects that the City will experience significant increases or decreases in revenues or expenditures during the second year of such budgetary cycle, the Controller shall submit a report to the Mayor and the Board of Supervisors identifying those increases or decreases.
2. The Mayor shall prepare and submit to the Board of Supervisors a proposed amendment to the biennial budget responding to the Controller's report. The Board may approve or amend the Mayor's proposed budget amendment subject to the limitations that apply to the approval of the budget in Section 9.103. The Mayor's proposed budget amendment shall be deemed approved by operation of law unless the Board finally adopts an amendment to the biennial budget on second reading no later than July 15.
3. The Board's resolution declaring that an upcoming budgetary cycle or cycles shall be fixed, shall include a definition of the term " significant increases or decreases in revenues or expenditures," a deadline for the Controller's submission of a report identifying such increases or decreases, and a deadline for the Mayor to submit to the Board a proposed amendment to the biennial budget in response to the Controller's report.
(h) Nothing in this section shall limit the ability of the Mayor or a member of the Board of Supervisors to introduce at his or her discretion an amendment to a biennial budget at any time during the budgetary cycle.
(Amended by Proposition A, Approved 11/5/2009)