Durham Reporter

City of Durham issued the following announcement on Feb. 13.

In our latest edition of CityConnect, City Manager Wanda Page shares details on our FY23-24 Budget Development Process and how you can share your input on the funding of services and programs you want from your localgov.

As readers of City Connect, you know by now that this is “the most wonderful time of the year” for City leaders and City Council. It’s the time when we come together to determine our services and how much is needed to continue funding those services you expect, along with some new projects, for the upcoming fiscal year.

As you can imagine, creating and managing a complex, more than half-billion-dollar budget requires effective planning and strategy, and thoughtful employee and community input. In the next few weeks, we will kick off our planning, and over the next four months, develop and finalize the budget through several key steps. Below is an overview of the Budget Development Process that you can use to understand how and when to get involved.   

• Considering the economic outlook (March 2 and March 3): To get things started, City Council and our 27 departments come together for two retreats to consider the current economy, review projected revenues and expenditures, and consider how these and other factors might impact our budget. Following the retreats, you can view materials on the Budget and Management Services webpage.

• Collecting initial public input (March 20 City Council Meeting): The first public hearing will give community members the opportunity to share their feedback about funding needs and priorities. This is your chance to influence what gets funded in our next budget.
• Adoption of the budget guidelines (April 3 City Council Meeting): Based on guidance from City Council, these guidelines provide direction for the development of the budget including priorities and funding strategies. For example, can we recommend raising taxes, if needed, or focus on other revenue sources?
• Presentation of the proposed budget to City Council (May 15 City Council Meeting): In May, I will present the proposed budget to City Council for consideration, highlighting the important initiatives and programs to be funded based on the budget guidelines from Council, public input, and our annual Resident Satisfaction Survey. Following this presentation, Council will have several weeks to review the detailed budget documents.
• Taking a closer look (May 24-25 Special City Council Work Sessions): At this point in the process, City Council identifies areas where they need more information and discussion to reach a final budget. Selected departments will present details about their budget requests during these public sessions.
• Second public hearing for community input (June 5 City Council Meeting): This public hearing gives the community a final opportunity to offer feedback about the proposed budget.
• Adoption of the budget (June 20 City Council Meeting): City Council adopts the fiscal year 2023-2024 budget.

 https://cvcpl.us/fKGqRnz

Original source can be found here.