(a) The City budget shall be prepared annually by the Mayor with the assistance of the Business Administrator. In order to prepare the budget, the Mayor shall require all department heads to submit requests for appropriations to him and to appear before him or such other officer as the Mayor designates at a public hearing on such requests. The City Clerk shall also appear at such hearing and submit for incorporation into the budget the requests for appropriations for the use of Council.
(b) Except for the budget for the fiscal year beginning on the first Monday of January, 1962, the Mayor shall present the budget to Council at no later than the last meeting scheduled in November of each year preceding the fiscal year for which the budget is submitted. The budget shall be in the form of an analysis of the various proposed items of revenue and expenditure.
(c) In considering the budget, Council may reduce any item by a vote concurred in by at least three members; but it may increase or add an item only if four members vote in favor thereof. After passing the proposed budget ordinance on first reading, Council shall fix a date for final passage thereof which date shall not be later than December 31 immediately following. In the interval between passage on first reading and final passage, the proposed budget ordinance shall be available for public inspection in the office of the City Clerk.
(d) In the month of January following any municipal election the Mayor may submit and Council may pass amendments to the budget ordinance adopted during the preceding month. In so doing, it shall cause the amended ordinance to be available for public inspection in the office of the City Clerk during the interval between first reading and final passage of such amendments.
(e) All expenditures of the City shall be made in accordance with the budget and shall be specifically identified with reference to the budget.
(Ord. 2-1962 §405; Ord. 15-1969 §7.)
(f) The City budget, when prepared by the Mayor with the assistance of the Business Administrator, shall reflect an unappropriated balance equal to a minimum of one-half percent (.5%) of the projected appropriations in each budgetary fund. The purpose of the balance is to prevent deficit financing resulting from a revenue shortfall.
Any projected expenditure from the unappropriated balance shall require a supplemental appropriation measure approved by a majority of Council, as outlined in Section 137.02.
(Ord. 21-1983 §1. Passed 7-19-83.)