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2022/01/24 - Mayor's Column: Steps in Budget Preperation

“AN OPEN DOOR TO O’FALLON”
A WEEKLY NOTE FROM MAYOR HERB ROACH
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As citizens of O’Fallon, you should know what goes into developing the City of O’Fallon’s annual budget.  So, I have put together for you an outline of the process that we use in our preparation.

Our budget process is not rushed through because of the input that we take into consideration, the complexity of all the different needs, and trying to make sure that your tax dollars are giving you the best bang for the dollar spent.

The process itself starts in December and concludes in April with approval by the City Council.  State law requires that cities have a balanced budget every year. Here is an outline of the process:

  1. First off, we look at any new laws or regulations that will impact income or expenses, like an increase in minimum wage and other mandates.
  2. We review our five-year Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) to see if everything still is needed or whether we need to adjust.
  3. A thorough review of all our anticipated sources of income.
  4. The review of the input that we have received from the Council, Citizens and Businesses in the City.
  5. Receive the final submissions from each department.
  6. Review and receive final justification of all budgeted items.
  7. Balance of expenditures with income with a conservative slant.
  8. Submission to the Committees of the City Council for final review and feedback.
  9. Final adjustments and submission to the City Council for final approval.
  10.  The Council will vote twice on the approval in April.

I hope that this will give you a better understanding of what goes into preparing your City Budget.  Our Fiscal year runs from May 1st through April 30th of each year.

As residents of O’Fallon, you should always be able to reach out to your elected officials and ask questions about what is happening in O’Fallon. Having open communications is important to me and something I care very deeply about. Thank you for reading, and please remember, my door is always open.