Department of Taxation staff walk local officials through FY26 budget forms and deadlines

Department of Taxation presenters led a training session for local government and school district budget preparers, explaining how to complete FY26 budget forms, where to find the updated templates and when to submit them for review.

The presenters asked jurisdictions to "please send 2 single sided copies of the tentative and final budgets to the Department of Taxation and also send us a PDF file of your budgets in our email," and urged participants to keep indexes and page numbers current so reviewers can find each fund quickly. They noted that Schedule 30 (the lobbying schedule) "is not required for FY26." (Presenter: Rhonda, S2)

Why it matters: the department emphasized timing rules that affect whether budgets are accepted and when notices must be published. The presenters said tentative hearings must be scheduled between the third Monday in May and the last day of May (this year, May 19–May 31) and that the public notice must run in a newspaper no fewer than seven and no more than 14 days before the meeting date.

Presenters walked attendees through the key schedules budget officers must reconcile. They said state education revenues reported on Schedule AA (columns 4–5) must match totals on Schedule B1 and the modified AA/AA1 schedules; if totals do not match, department analysts will contact the district. On Schedule AA1 (expenditures), the department offered an "AA1 modified" format that adds transfers-out and contingency columns and may be easier to use. Presenters repeatedly stressed that prior-year actuals on BB schedules must match the district audit.

On debt reporting, staff explained Schedule CC and Schedule C1 must show the same principal and interest totals for FY26; the department said reserve balances may equal up to six months of principal and interest "without explanation." For districts that operate proprietary activities such as school food, presenters reviewed Schedule J1 (proprietary reporting) and J2 (cash-flow statement) and clarified that J2 amounts are not transferred into Schedule AA or AA1.

Participants asked practical questions about where to download the forms and when the department would post the training. The presenters said the forms, instructions, calendar and a checklist will be available under the Local Government Finance section of the Department of Taxation website and that the recorded training will be posted with a YouTube link. One attendee asked specifically for a copy of the annotated slides; staff confirmed the annotated presentation will be downloadable.

Key deadlines and clarifications extracted from the training: - Tentative budgets: signed by the person in charge of the tentative budget. - Final budgets: signed by a majority of governing members (50% plus one). - Budget hearing window: not earlier than the third Monday in May and not later than the last day of May (presenters cited May 19–May 31 as the target window for the current year). - Publication requirement: public notice must appear in a newspaper no fewer than 7 and no more than 14 days before the hearing date. - Assessed valuations: preliminary numbers delivered around Feb. 15 (preliminary) and final projections delivered March 15; use preliminary figures for tentative budgets and final figures for final budgets. - Schedule 30 (lobbying schedule): not required for FY26.

The session included a question-and-answer period; presenters encouraged jurisdictions to call the department with follow-up questions and to use the posted checklist to confirm forms match audits and schedules. The training closed with presenters thanking attendees and confirming the department will provide the annotated slides and video on its website.

The training did not record any formal votes or motions. Attendees were given contact instructions and promised downloadable materials and a recorded session for later reference.