Budget Advisory Committee seeks clearer review criteria for Englewood sales and use tax funds

The Budget Advisory Committee (BAC) of Englewood City discussed how it will review two voter‑approved dedicated sales and use tax funds and asked staff to streamline the annual review process to make it easier for citizens to see whether expenditures meet the ballot intent.

Jenny Nolan, Englewood Budget Manager, walked the committee through last year’s process: staff collected candidate expenditures from Public Works and the Police Department, compiled them into a spreadsheet for the committee’s review and then met with department staff to clarify items. Nolan said the prior packet “well exceeded the actual availability of funds,” giving the committee latitude to prioritize which expenditures best matched the ballot language.

Committee members and staff agreed the review is most useful when formatted as a straightforward pass/fail determination tied to the ballot language, and that the committee should document reasons if it finds an item does not meet the voters’ expectation. “Previous council guidance has suggested that the review process is most helpful, when formatted as a simple pass or fail review,” Nolan said.

Members asked for clearer, more consistent reporting from departments. Suggestions included adding a dedicated column for FTE equivalencies and role descriptions, distinguishing program‑specific activities (for example, alternate‑policing and homelessness response) from general departmental work, and using the review package as a public communications tool so residents can see how the funds were used.

The committee agreed to two procedural steps: circulate a refined spreadsheet and the supporting presentation slides in early January for internal review, then ask the Police Department to present in March and Public Works to present in April (the committee requested materials at least two weeks before each presentation). Several members said receiving the slide decks in advance will reduce meeting time and allow the committee to prepare focused follow‑up questions.

Tyson Thornburg (Budget/Financial staff) and other members emphasized the need for measurable metrics that align to each fund’s ballot language — for police that could include counts and locations of behavioral health calls, co‑responders deployed, and percent of officers with mental‑health first‑aid training; for public works suggested metrics included projects completed, citizen requests fulfilled and time to complete projects.

No formal votes were recorded on recommendations to council or staff; the committee asked staff to prepare the revised materials and to return with an updated packet in January so the group can finalize what it will ask police and public works to provide for the June audit.