Mayor Matt Ryan will present the 2008 City Budget this Monday, August 13, 2007 at 6:30PM in the City Council Chambers. In addition, the Mayor has offered to host a new series of workshops on the budget before budget hearings to allow Council members and the public the opportunity to better understand the annual budget process and current financial health of the city.

“The hearings don’t allow for a more general exchange on the big-picture issues, such as capital projects, bonding and debt, personnel costs, and operations,” said Mayor Ryan. “I believe in full transparency, and I want to create a civil, respectful exchange between this office and the Council for this year’s budget proceedings. We owe it to the city residents to invest their tax dollars wisely and responsibly, and I want to make sure the Council fully understands the financial landscape that informed my management decisions.”

The Mayor’s Office announced this opportunity to Council members in a memo dated July 23, which included the following description:

MUNICIPAL FINANCE WORKSHOPS. After the 2008 Budget Presentation, which is scheduled for Monday, August 13, 6:30PM, an administrative team will be available for up to three workshops to be held before budget hearings. Topics can include, but are not limited to, historical trends in federal and state revenues, bonding limits and debt load, personnel costs, review of the different funds and respective reserves, capital improvement planning, etc. The purpose of these workshops is to provide the “big picture,” which should better inform our decisions and approach as we move through the hearings and approval process. Council members should include any specific topics they would like to see addressed in detail, and John Cox [City Comptroller] will work with Chairman of the Finance Committee [Chris Papastrat] to schedule the workshops.

The City is working with Time Warner Cable to broadcast both the 2008 Budget Presentation and the financial workshops on Cable Channel 12. Date and time of the workshops will be announced as soon as they are confirmed. The workshops will be open to the public and will include a public comment session.

The Chamber doors will open at 6:00pm for the 2008 Budget Presentation, and the public is encouraged to attend.

The Budget presentation comes one month earlier than last year, and nearly two months earlier than previous years as a result of the Mayor’s successful efforts in 2006 to consolidate tax collection and enforcement over to the County. The intermunicipal agreement requires the city to provide the County with the tax levy by mid-November, which shifted the entire budget process earlier in the year by two months.