City of Boulder recently issued the following announcement.
Boulder City staff are in the process of developing the Fiscal Year 2023 Operation and Maintenance Budget. This budget is critical for infrastructure, public safety, staffing and much more. Boulder City operates on a July 1 to June 30 fiscal year budget cycle.
Boulder City’s Finance Department is committed to transparency throughout the process. “The preliminary budget as well as revised versions will be posted on the City website at www.bcnv.org,” said Diane Pelletier, Finance Director. “We encourage residents to be informed and learn about the budget process. These are your dollars at work here.” The Operation and Maintenance Budget covers all the day-to-day operations of the city of Boulder City. This budget covers expenses such as wages, office supplies, software and other information technology, and gasoline for the police vehicles.
The Operation and Maintenance Budget differs from the Capital Improvement Plan, a budget for special projects like new buildings, new irrigation systems or major upgrades to existing properties. Those are usually projects that require extensive planning and funding.
One of the biggest challenges this fiscal year includes wages. “We're currently undergoing a class and compensation study. Labor for the city is over 65-percent of the budget, so that could have significant consequences to the budget depending on the outcome,” said Budget Manager Angela Manninen. “Minimum wage is going up 75 cents, which is only 7-percent but it also is a significant cost to the city.”
The budget process is a continuous cycle. At the beginning of February, Finance staff met with the department directors and City Manager Taylour Tedder to review each estimated budget. “The staff has been very prudent, especially in light of the pandemic,” said Mr. Tedder. “Finance staff must ensure that revenues and expenses are balanced. Diane and the team in our Finance Department has a great track record for keeping Boulder City spending balanced.”
There will be several meetings where the public can provide input on the FY23 budget:
- March 3 at 1:00 p.m.: Council to review the preliminary budget, request changes
- March 16 at 2:00 p.m.: Staff-led Citizen Budget Workshop
- April 7 at 1:00 p.m.: Council to review and make final changes
- May 24 at 5:00 p.m.: Regular Council meeting – Staff to request approval of final budget
Original source can be found here.