Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Municipal Budget topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Staff outlines FY 2026–27 budget as an "estimate of needs," emphasizing zero-based approach
Summary
City staff presented the FY 2026–2027 budget as an "estimate of needs," noting figures are estimates and appropriations are by line item; the approach will prioritize personnel funding before capital under a zero-based framework.
City budget presenter Mike Kern told the Krebs City Council May 12 that the FY 2026–2027 budget is prepared using a formula called the "estimate of needs" and that all figures presented are estimates without guarantees. Kern said the budget appropriates a grand total by line item within departments, but that an appropriation is not an automatic approval to spend — line items may be adjusted as long as the grand total does not change.
Kern described the city's approach as zero-based budgeting: "For each department we will talk about personnel first then capital expenditure." He emphasized that personnel funding needs should be accounted for before other items, and that he does not have authority to set final amounts — that responsibility rests with the council. No specific revenue or dollar figures were included in the presentation; all numbers were characterized as estimates based on the current year's receipts.
