The annual operating budget of the city shall be prepared in accordance with the following.
(A) Proposal prepared. The City Manager is responsible for preparation of the annual budget detail, for review by the Mayor and Council and adoption by the Council in accordance with directives of the Mayor and Council.
(B) Boards, commissions and department heads. All boards, commissions and other administrative agencies of the city that are authorized to prepare and administer budgets, as well as department heads, must annually submit their budget proposals to the City Manager for inclusion in the proposed city budget by a date as may be set by the City Manager and in a form as may be required by the City Manager.
(C) Submission to Council. The City Manager shall submit the completed budget proposal to the Council by a date as may be agreed to by the Council each year.
(D) Council review. The Council shall review the proposed budget and may make any adjustments in the budget which it deems appropriate before accepting the proposal for publication, hearing and final adoption.
(E) Notice of hearing. Upon adopting a proposed budget, the Council shall set a date for public hearing thereon to be held before March 15 and cause notice of the hearing and a summary of the proposed budget to be published not less than ten nor more than 20 days before the date established for the hearing. Proof of publication must be filed with the County Auditor.
(Iowa Code § 384.16(3))
(F) Copies of budget on file. Not less than 20 days before the date that the budget must be certified to the County Auditor and not less than ten days before the public hearing, the Clerk shall make available a sufficient number of copies of the detailed budget to meet the requests of taxpayers and organizations, and have them available for distribution at the offices of the Mayor and Clerk and at the city library. (Iowa Code § 384.16(2))
(G) Adoption and certification. After the hearing, the Council shall adopt, by resolution, a budget for at least the next fiscal year and the Finance Director shall certify the necessary tax levy for the next fiscal year to the County Auditor. The tax levy certified may be less than, but not more than, the amount estimated in the proposed budget. Two copies each of the detailed budget as adopted and of the tax certificate must be transmitted to the County Auditor.
(Iowa Code § 384.16(5))
(1999 Code, § 7.04)