The annual operating budget of the City shall be prepared in accordance with the following:
1. Proposal Prepared. The finance officer 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.
2. Boards and Commissions. All boards, commissions, and other administrative agencies of the City that are authorized to prepare and administer budgets must submit their budget proposals to the finance officer for inclusion in the proposed City budget at such time and in such form as required by the Council.
3. Submission to Council. The finance officer shall submit the completed budget proposal to the Council each year at such time as directed by the Council.
4. Annual Statement.
(Code of Iowa, Sec. 24.2A(2))
A. On or before 4:00 p.m. on March 5 of each year, the City shall file, with the Department of Management, a report containing all necessary information for the Department of Management to compile and calculate amounts required to be included in the statement mailed under Paragraph B.
B. Not later than March 15, the County Auditor, using information compiled and calculated by the Department of Management shall send to each property owner or taxpayer within the County, by regular mail, an individual statement containing all of the required information as provided under Section 24.2(2)(B)(1-10) of the Code of Iowa.
C. The Department of Management shall prescribe the form for the report required under Paragraph A, the statements to be mailed under Paragraph B, and the public hearing notice required under Paragraph D.
D. The Council shall set a time and place for a public hearing on the City’s proposed property tax amount for the budget year and the City’s information included in the statements under Paragraph B. The proposed property tax hearing shall be set on a date on or after March 20 of the budget year immediately preceding the budget year for which the tax is being proposed. At the hearing, the Council shall receive oral or written testimony from any resident or property owner of the City. This public hearing shall be separate from any other meeting of the Council, including any other meeting or public hearing relating to the City’s budget, and other business of the City that is not related to the proposed property tax amounts and the information in the statements shall not be conducted at the public hearing. After all testimony has been received and considered, the governing body may decrease, but not increase, the proposed property tax amount to be included in the City’s budget.
(1) Notice of the public hearing shall be published not less than 10 nor more than 20 days prior to the hearing, in a newspaper published at least once weekly and having general circulation in the City. However, if the City has a population of 200 or less, publication may be made by posting in three public places in the City.
(2) Notice of the hearing shall also be posted and clearly identified on the City’s internet site for public viewing beginning on the date of the newspaper publication and shall be maintained on the City’s internet site with all such prior year notices.
(3) Additionally, if the City maintains a social media account on one or more social media applications, the public hearing notice or an electronic link to the public hearing notice shall be posted on each such account on a date no later than the date of publication of the notice.
(4) Failure of a newspaper to publish a required notice under this paragraph shall not be considered a failure of a political subdivision to provide required notice under this paragraph if all of the following conditions are met:
a. Notice of the public hearing was provided to each property owner and each taxpayer within the political subdivision in statements required under Subsection 2, Paragraph B.
b. The political subdivision can demonstrate to the county auditor that the political subdivision provided sufficient time for the newspaper to publish the notice.
(Subsection 4 – Ord. 3123 – Sep. 24 Supp.)
5. Council Review. The Council shall review the proposed budget and may make any adjustments it deems appropriate in the budget before accepting such proposal for publication, hearing, and final adoption.
6. Notice of Hearing. Following, and not until the requirements, of Subsection 4 of this section, are completed, the Council shall set a time and place for public hearing on the budget to be held before April 30 and shall publish notice of the hearing not less than 10 nor more than 20 days before the hearing. A summary of the proposed budget and a description of the procedure for protesting the City budget under Section 384.19 of the Code of Iowa, in the form prescribed by the Director of the Department of Management, shall be included in the notice. Proof of publication of the notice under this subsection must be filed with the County Auditor.
(Code of Iowa, Sec. 384.16[3])
7. 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 10 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.
(Code of Iowa, Sec. 384.16[2])
8. Adoption and Certification. After the hearing, the Council shall adopt, by resolution, a budget for at least the next fiscal year and the Clerk shall certify the necessary tax levy for the next fiscal year to the County Auditor and the County Board of Supervisors. The tax levy certified may be less than, but not more than, the amount estimated in the proposed budget submitted at the final hearing, unless an additional tax levy is approved at a City election. Two copies each of the detailed budget as adopted and of the tax certificate must be transmitted to the County Auditor.
(Code of Iowa, Sec. 384.16[5])
(Section 7.05 – Ord. 3091 – Sep. 23 Supp.)