Commissioner requests detailed departmental subline budgets for auditor review ahead of millage decision

Commissioner Raquel Regalado on May 20 asked the administration to provide the commission auditor with copies of departmental budget files and subline-item details for the upcoming fiscal year so the auditor and commissioners can review proposed year-over-year changes before the board sets the millage.

Regalado framed the motion as a practical request: the mayor's proposed budget is due by charter deadline in mid-July, and the commission has limited committee meetings to analyze complex budget items before the millage-setting. The motion directed the mayor to give the commission auditor departmental files and, for any general-fund line items projected to change year over year, to provide a qualitative and quantitative explanation within seven days so the auditor could verify the administration's projected deficit.

The proposal drew procedural objections from Commissioner Danielle Cohen Higgins, who noted an ordinance containing similar requirements had been deferred in committee because the administration described the detailed reporting burden as onerous. The administration, led by the mayor and the county's budget director, said it is meeting regularly with commissioners and the auditor, that it is working to provide available materials earlier than in past years, and that many numbers are still being finalized (for example, property-appraiser projections and constitutional officer requests). The mayor said the administration did not intend to wait until July 15 to consult and would provide available information to facilitate commission review.

Commissioners debated process and precedent: some said the motion was reasonable and necessary for meaningful review before the millage vote; others argued the motion circumvented the committee process and set a problematic precedent for floor motions. The motion was 4-day ruled (administratively limited under board rules) before the meeting concluded; the mayor and the administration committed to continue working with the auditor and commissioners and to provide timely updates. The chairman said he would add the previously deferred ordinance to the June 3 agenda if there was no progress in the intervening days.

The motion is intended to increase transparency and give the commission auditor the detailed data needed to assess projected revenue and expense changes so the board can analyze options before it sets the millage in mid-July.