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Council delays vote on year‑end budget amendments, asks staff to show offsets
Summary
Staff presented six year‑end budget amendments; council debated whether department‑level overages require ordinance action under state law and the city charter's balanced‑budget rule. Council asked staff to show explicit offsetting reductions and tabled the item for revision.
Finance staff explained the six line‑item changes proposed to close out the fiscal year ending Sept. 30 and said most were minimal but required to align departmental totals. The city attorney reviewed state law and TML guidance and said whether an ordinance is required depends on whether department‑level overages increase a department’s total budget and whether the charter requires demonstrating a balanced budget.
Council members pressed staff to identify where offsets would come from if the ordinance raises departmental allocations; staff said transfers to the aviation and golf funds could be reduced to cover the requested increases. The city attorney advised best practice that department‑level increases that raise a department’s total expenditure should be effected by ordinance that shows corresponding decreases in other departments or funds to preserve the charter’s balanced‑budget requirement.
After discussion, Councilor Prince moved to table the ordinance and asked staff and counsel to prepare a revised ordinance that specifies the source of offsets and preserves the balanced‑budget showing. The motion carried; the city will bring a redrafted ordinance for later consideration.
