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OPERATING BUDGET
The 2003 to 2005 Approved Operating Budget provides the highlights of the City of Lethbridge’s Operating and Capital Budget as approved by City Council of December 16, 2002.
The budget is organized by type of operation (tax-supported and utility operations) with each operation considered a separate budgeting and accounting entity. Amounts are budgeted and reported along departmental/program lines, with accountability and authority for budgetary approval, amendments and actual disbursements resting jointly with the business unit leader, the City Manager, and City Council.
The budget document is divided into seven parts:
Introduction
This section includes the letter of transmittal which relays the budget message and budget highlights for the 2003 to 2005 operating budget. The introduction also includes a summary of budget principles and policies and a one page summary of the budget and its effect on the average homeowner.
City Profile
This section overviews City organization and outlines City Council goals and desired directions with an indication of how the operating budget allocates funding to those directions. This section also includes some statistics growth, population, debt, and property tax comparisons to other cities.
Executive Summary (General and Utility Funds)
The executive summaries outline the major budget changes from 2002 and list decisions made by City Council during the 2003 to 2005 budget deliberations. Graphical summaries of the overall budget are also included in these sections.
Operating Budget Summary by Department
This section includes an overview that compares the 2002 to the 2005 operating budget in two separate formats. One format summarizes each business unit into one line and identifies budget changes. The other format lays out two pages per business unit and includes information on business operations including performance indicators in addition to describing reasons for budget changes.
Appendices
The appendices contain valuable information on budget details such as revenue and expenditure trends, rate and user fee increases, personnel details, capital budget overview etc. There are also appendices covering general budget information such as budget processes, community surveys, and summary of fiscal principles, practices and policies.
Glossary of terms
Defines terms used in this document.
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