Finance - Budget Reporting

Numerous Cutbacks necessary to Balance 2010 Budget

by Roy H. Otto, Greeley City Manager

At the October 20 council meeting, City Council members approved a balanced budget for 2010 appropriating $170,188,692 for expenditures and $55,559,725 for transfers between funds; a total of $225,748,417. The 2010 budget appropriation is a 28% decrease (excluding transfers) from the 2009 Revised Budget. The budget includes numerous cutbacks that affect every department and service being provided to residents. From suspending water purchases to reducing the number of Museum hours, reductions were made to match services with projected revenues.

Unfortunately, the outlook for 2010 and 2011 revenue, primarily sales tax, the largest source of revenue for City services, is poor. As long as umemployment in Weld and surrounding counties is up and businesses and individuals are having a tough time making it, it's likely that revenue will continue to slide.

In spite of this bad news, there were consequences to the budget discussions that will benefit the City in the future. First was the evaluation of City services necessary to make effective cutbacks. For example, a consolidation of departments was accomplished that will make the organization more efficient for years to come. Second, observations and suggestions by the Council about the budget process will likely involve the council more so in future budget preparations.

You may view a bullet point list of additional service level changes that were made in order to create a balanced budget. We also invite you to view a summary of the 2010 budget. If you have any questions concerning the budget, please contact Sheri Dern, Budget analyst, at sheri.dern@greeleygov.com or (970) 350-9735. (Updated 11/13/09)

2009 Budget

The 2009 Budget was approved by City Council on December 2, 2008, appropriating $189,727,426 for expenditures and $70,790,407 for transfers between funds; a total of $260,517,833. The 2009 appropriation is a 5.2% decrease (excluding transfers) from the 2008 Revised Budget. The operating budget places a priority on existing programs to insure that the city is able to maintain an excellent level of service and address the overall needs of the community.

Revenue growth for the City is projected to be minimal with estimated revenues for 2009 projected to grow 2.6% over 2008 estimated revenues and 1.7% over 2007 actual revenue. This trend is not unique to Greeley as most communities in Colorado are facing the same issues in balancing their budget. Staff is to be commended for their dedication in creating a balanced budget while still maintaining the quality of life that makes Greeley "Great From the Ground Up."

The complete 2009/2010 budget document and a summary of the 2009/2010 budget are available for viewing; individual sections are listed below for your convenience. To view the files you will need to download Adobe Acrobat Reader version 5 or higher, as the files are in Adobe PDF file format.

2009/2010 Biennial Budget

-Table of Contents

-City Manager’s Message

- Reader’s Guide

- Budget Overview

- Revenue Summary

- Expenditure Summary

- Personnel Summaries

- Fund Summaries

-General Fund

-Special Revenue Funds

-Debt Service Funds