2011-12 Operating Budget: Budget Approval Schedule

Last Thursday, May 5, 2011, the RCC Budget Committee met.

The agenda included several 2010-11 budget amendments. Further, Chariman Billy Ray introduced a “Budget Adoption Schedule” for the 2011-12 Operating Budget. Please make a note of this schedule. (Thanks to Commissioner Faye Stubblefield, member of the Budget Committee, for providing me an electronic version of this schedule // Also, if you would like this in a document form, please e-mail me).

2011.6.2               Finance Director presents all budgets to the Budget Committee (“BC”), except the School budget;

2011.6.9               BC reviews all budgets, except the School Fund Budget;

2011.6.16             BC continues to review all budgets, except the School Fund budget;

2011.6.23             School Director presents proposed School Fund budget to the BC;

2011.6.30             BC continues to review all budgets, including the School Fund budget;

2011.7.7               BC continues to review all budgets, including the School Fund budget;

2011.7.14             BC continues to review all budgets, including the School Fund budget;

2011.7.20             Finance Director enters the actual figures for all funds for the fiscal year ending 6/30/2011;

2011.7.21             BC reviews all budgets and sets the property tax rate for all funds – Fiscal Year 2011-12;

2011.7.25             School Board approves School Fund budget to the Finance Director;

2011.7.26             BC final meeting – BC instructs Finance Director to prepare budget document;

2011.7.26             School Director presents the final School Fund budget to the Finance Director;

2011.8.1               Finance Director mails notice to the County Commissioners to pick up the formal budget document;

2011.8.3               Finance Director finalizes and prepares the formal bound budget document;

2011.8.5               Finance Director delivers the budget ad and notice of budget – public hearing to the newspaper;

2011.8.8               Finance Director delivers the formal bound budget document to the County Mayor’s Office;

2011.8.9               County Commissioners pick up budget document at County Mayor’s Office in the afternoon;

2011.8.10             Budget ad listing of proposed nonprofit agency appropriations appear in the newspaper;

2011.8.16             Public hearing is held by the BC, County Mayor, School Director, Highway Superintendent & Finance Director;

2011.8.22             County Commission approves the budget resolution and property tax rate for Fiscal Year 2011-12;

Note: All of these meetings are currently scheduled for 5:00pm at the Finance Office (Robertson County Office Building)

Just where is the RCC Budget Committee in this process?

At the meeting Thursday, it was announced that all department heads have met with Finance Director Jody Stewart to analyze and furnish their proposals for the upcoming fiscal year. Chairman Billy Ray did state that even though the department heads have met with the Finance Director – that this year, the budget adoption process will be different (Recall, that this was discussed here with regard to the “old process”).

I applaud the RCC Budget Committee for taking this position – there is no doubt that this is going to be a difficult process. This will be difficult because we live in difficult times.

Hopefully, in the weeks in the weeks ahead – as each meeting draws closer – I will be able to provide you details as to what department heads will attend each meeting.