Budget Manual 2020

Budget Manual

Budget & Evaluation prepares a variety of information and instructions for departments to use for assistance with base budget preparation and entry. This includes internal charges and fees for insurance, capital leases, and others. A more detailed list of internal charges can be found here. Updated revenues are developed and departmental targets are distributed. Departments will also receive instructions for completing and submitting Service Enhancement and Position Request forms, as needed. Additionally, the budget system offers several reports for budget review and planning. Targets Targets are budget goals for each department or fund, which are established primarily by the planning budget presented to Council the previous fiscal year and forecast updates for the upcoming year. Targets are established using baseline services and related expenditures, as well as updated revenue projections. Departments use these goals to guide development of their upcoming budget submittals. Departments that submit a requested budget over target must be prepared to justify why they are unable to meet their goals. Depending upon the circumstances, departments may be directed to either absorb the costs within their budget target, submit a service enhancement for the increased amount, or use other strategies as discussed with their budget and management analyst. Two-Year Planning Budget Greensboro uses a two-year planning budget process. Each June, a budget is adopted for the fiscal year beginning in July, Year One. At the same time, a budget preview (planning budget) is presented for the fiscal year beginning in July of the next fiscal year, Year Two. Although the second year planning budget is not officially adopted by City Council, the City Manager provides the second year planning budget during the formal budget presentation. This serves as a preview of revenue and expenditure projections for the subsequent twelve months. This process was implemented to enhance the City Council's understanding of the impact that service and revenues changes have on future years, and to improve long-range financial planning. These projections give Council and City staff an opportunity to develop budget strategies a full year in advance of formally adopting the second year budget. Budgeting for Personnel At the beginning of the budget process, departments have access to several updated reports in the budget system. These reports include employee information, their job titles, and their estimated salaries for the next fiscal year. The figures are generated from existing financial and HRIS records, and calculated in Questica. Departments should review the personnel information for accuracy and ensure positions are correctly allocated. This review is especially important for recent position changes, reorganizations, and split payroll positions. Salary and benefit costs for full- and part-time positions are calculated directly by the budget system. The system calculates all position related information. No data entry is required by departments. If there are position allocation changes needed, please reach out to the budget database specialist.

Operating Budget Instructions A-3