Hot Springs residents asked to come view the budget

The Hot Springs board of directors and city manager Lance Hudnell invite all concerned city residents to a 2010 Budget town hall meeting at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, September 13 in rooms 102-103 of the Hot Springs Convention Center. City staff and elected officials will be in attendance.

The purpose of the meeting is to solicit ideas from city residents regarding priorities for the 2012 budget. “It is always extremely important to have a feel for what services, programs and activities are important to our citizens at the beginning of our budget development process to serve as a guide as we move into the detailed work of developing the new year budget,” said Hudnell.

The city will not be able to fund all departmental or citizen requests in 2012; therefore, the city manager and board must prioritize funding levels for all departments. Information and comments garnered from the town hall meeting will assist in this process.

Hudnell explained that the annual budget process consists of five distinct phases. Phase I includes the establishment of citizen and board budget priorities, as well as goals for the new year by the board and departments. Hudnell referred to this as the “dreams” phase, as the board and departments establish what they wish to accomplish in 2012. This phase includes the identification of desired new programs and initiatives, as well as those that should be reduced or eliminated. The September 13 town hall meeting begins this phase.

Phase II, the “negotiation” phase, includes a detailed reviewed of each departmental budget and departmental goals by the city manager and department heads, resulting in the city manager’s proposed budget. This phase is accomplished during October.

The third phase is the “reality” phase, including the Board of Directors’ review of the city manager’s proposed budget in November and ultimate adoption of the 2012 budget in December. During this phase, the “dreams” and “negotiations” are adjusted to “reality,” and the final budget and goals for 2012 established.

The fourth phase is the accountability phase, involving preparation of the “State of the City Report” and appraisal of the city’s 2011 goals and accomplishments. The fifth phase is the “review and adjust” phase, also known as the mid-year budget process, conducted in July of each year.