Finance committee finalizes budget workshop schedule, aims to post budget book April 14

The Finance Committee met Feb. 14 to set a calendar and process for the city—s fiscal 2025-26 budget, agreeing on a series of department review meetings, three public workshops and target dates for posting and council action.

Committee members said the schedule is designed to give councilors and the public time to review a manager-level budget before a planned council vote in April. Nate, a finance team member, said early work is already under way: "It's February 14, and we're already starting the budget process." Charlie, who outlined broader timeline goals and staff responsibilities, said staff aim to upload a final proposed budget book electronically by April 14 so councilors and residents have time to review before an April 21 council vote.

Why it matters: The committee framed the schedule to align the municipal budget with the school district—s budget timeline so both can be considered together. Schools require separate approval steps; the committee agreed the school presentation should come to council earlier than originally scheduled.

Committee decisions and schedule details - Department head review meetings are planned Feb. 24—27. Charlie said those sessions will include manager recommendations for each department. - Three public workshops were set: March 13, March 20 and April 3, all starting at 6 p.m. after committee members agreed to retain the community—s customary 6 p.m. start time instead of 5:30 p.m. - The school budget presentation to council was moved to Tuesday, March 25 (replacing a previously scheduled school workshop), so the council can consider school and municipal budgets together in advance of the school board—s April 8 vote. - Staff aim to post an electronic version of the proposed final budget by April 14 and print copies the following week, giving councilors a weekend to review before the April 21 council meeting where final consideration is planned.

Supporting details and staffing Nate reported year-to-date financial reporting and reconciliation work is ongoing and that reconciled payroll accounting for police overtime had been corrected in January. Charlie and other staff said the newly implemented Cassell system and additional spreadsheets will improve data quality for line-by-line review.

The committee also discussed how a completed reconciliation will allow for formal encumbering of funds and clearer decisions about undesignated fund balances, restricted TIF accounts and reserve accounts such as sums previously set aside for Knowlton Park and other playgrounds. Charlie said the city will revisit reserve-account structure after reconciliation to consider consolidation or forward-funding capital needs.

Capital planning and staffing Deputy City Manager Sarah, starting full-time next week after two introductory days, will lead updates to the 1-, 5- and 10-year capital improvement plan, which staff said has been dormant for several years. The capital plan will inform future bonding, reserve decisions and debt-service projections.

Next steps and council direction Committee members asked staff to post the schedule and notify councilors and the public. Charlie said staff will upload draft materials in March for workshop review, incorporate council feedback during the March/April workshops, and post the proposed final budget electronically by April 14. Members emphasized they want the manager-level budget available before the council meeting billed for a potential vote on April 21.

Ending Staff left the committee with tasks: continue reconciliations, finalize department review meetings, post draft materials in mid-March and work with the school district on the March 25 presentation. Committee members said they will use the March workshops for line-by-line policies and expect several intensive nights of meetings as the schedule advances.