§ 19-706. Council and annual meeting action on budget

(a) Notice and hearing.

(1) The Council shall post and publish the general summary of the budget and proposed capital improvements and a notice stating:

(A) the times and places where copies of the message and budget are available for inspection by the public; and

(B) the time and place, not less than two weeks after such posting publication, and not more than 30 days prior to the annual meeting for a public hearing on the budget.

(2) The time and place of the annual meeting shall be posted as set forth in Article 2 of this charter.

(b) Amendment before submission to the voters. After the public hearing, the Council may approve the budget for submission to the voters with or without amendment. In amending the budget, it may add or increase programs or amounts and may delete or decrease any programs or amounts, except expenditures required by law or for debt service or for estimated cash deficit, provided that no amendment to the budget shall increase the Manager's recommended expenditures to an amount greater than the total of estimated income.

(c) Budget vote. The Council shall warn the budget to the voters for approval at the annual meeting held on the first Tuesday in March. The budget vote shall be conducted in accordance with the provisions set forth in Article 2 of this charter. If the voters fail to approve the budget at the annual meeting, the Council shall reconsider the budget and submit a revised budget to the voters prior to June 1 of that same year. The vote on the revised budget shall be conducted as set forth in Article 2 of this charter. If the voters fail to approve the revised budget, the amounts appropriated for current operation for the current fiscal year shall be deemed adopted for the ensuing fiscal year on a month-to-month basis, with all items in it prorated accordingly, until such time as the Council warns and the voters approve a budget for the ensuing fiscal year. Voter approval of the budget shall constitute appropriations of the amounts specified therein as expenditures from the funds indicated and shall constitute a levy of the property tax therein proposed. (Added 2013, No. M-9, § 3, eff. June 4, 2013.)