65.06 Funds, how expended.

(1) Except as provided in s. 65.025 (5), no money may be expended and no liabilities incurred by the city or any department unless otherwise specially authorized by law during the budget period, in excess of the amounts specified or except as hereinafter provided for any other purpose than as designated therein, provided, however, that whenever the city department that is responsible for a water system desires to make a contract extending over a period of more than one year for additions to the plant in excess of the estimated revenue for the budget period, if in the opinion of the board of estimates there will be money available to meet the payments on the contract as they may come due, then, by a majority vote of the board, they may authorize the comptroller to countersign such contract.

(2) Whenever a department is reimbursed for materials or services furnished, and the funds so received are not by law credited to some particular fund, the department may spend the money so received for the same purpose for which the money was originally appropriated in the budget.

(3) Whenever a department whose funds are subject to the control of the common council shall find it necessary to expend a greater sum than authorized by the budget for such specific purpose, and the department shall find it unnecessary to spend a sum as authorized for some other purpose, the department may request the secretary of the board of estimates to authorize the funds unnecessary for one purpose to be transferred to the purpose for which the greater sum is needed, stating the reasons therefor in writing. The secretary shall immediately submit such request to the mayor who shall call a meeting of the board forthwith at which the board may by a majority vote authorize the change, if the change shall be deemed advisable. Thereupon the secretary shall immediately certify the action of the board to the comptroller and the change shall be made in accordance with the action of the board.

(4) Any department authorized by law to fix its own tax levy may change at a regular meeting or one called for that purpose any appropriation specified in the budget for one purpose which is found unnecessary for that purpose to another purpose which the department shall find necessary to spend a greater sum than specified in the budget for that purpose. The department shall certify its action to the comptroller and the change shall be made accordingly.

(5) No department shall spend a greater sum than is appropriated by the budget for that department except as provided in s. 65.025 (5) and except:

(a) Unexpended balances from the proceeds of bonds or mortgage certificates carried over from the preceding year may be expended for the purposes for which the bonds or certificates were issued; and

(b) Any department whose funds are subject to the control of the common council may expend funds for the purpose appropriated by the common council from the contingent fund.

(6)

(a) The common council by resolution adopted by a three-fourths vote of all the alderpersons, may appropriate money from its contingent fund for any lawful purpose.

(b) The common council at any time after the adoption of the budget may, by resolution adopted by a majority vote of the members thereof direct the proper officers of any department to expend such sum or sums of money as are specially appropriated out of any specific fund under its control for any of the several purposes enumerated therein. The adoption of such resolution shall be the authority for such department to proceed and expend such specified sum for the purpose as directed therein.

(7) Any department whose funds are not subject to the common council may by vote of three-fourths of all its members appropriate money out of its contingent fund for any purpose for which it is authorized to spend money. Before the department shall spend any such funds it shall certify to the comptroller its action and the purpose for which such sum was appropriated.

(8) Any department charged by law with the construction, extension, operation and maintenance of a water system, lighting system or public utility may spend money from the surplus revenue of the water system, lighting system or utility in addition to the sum specified in the budget when deemed necessary to maintain the service, upon being authorized so to do by a three-fourths vote of all the alderpersons of the common council, specifying by resolution the purpose for which and the sum appropriated. Before any money shall be so expended a copy of the resolution authorizing it shall be certified to the comptroller.

(9) Unless otherwise specifically provided by law, no municipal bonds other than those provided for in the budget shall be issued during the ensuing fiscal year, except in case of great emergency when necessary to protect the public health or safety, and then only when authorized by the common council by a three-fourths vote of all the alderpersons.

(10) The city may expend any money or incur liabilities for any purposes which by law are assessable as benefits against parcels of land or are a legal charge against such parcels of land.

(11) Every officer or employee who shall violate or participate in the violation of the provisions of this chapter shall be personally liable to the city for all loss or damage to the city occasioned thereby.

(12) The adoption of the budget shall be authority for the expenditure by a department for the purposes therein provided and of the amounts assigned to the department thereby and no further action by the common council shall be necessary to authorize any department to make such expenditures, except that as provided herein it shall not authorize the expenditure of any money from the contingent fund of the common council.

(13) The common council may at any time suspend the expenditure of any fund assigned to any department by the budget which has not been expended or reserved for the payment of indebtedness incurred by the department. Such action by the council shall be by a majority vote of all the alderpersons but shall not apply to the funds of a department which determines its own tax levy and whose funds are not subject to the control of the common council.

(14) The adoption of the budget for any budget period shall not authorize the expenditure of any funds for the succeeding budget period except for indebtedness incurred during the budget year.

(15) All funds subject to the control of the common council assigned by the budget to a department not expended during the budget period and not reserved for indebtedness incurred during the budget period shall revert to the general revenues of the city.

(16) All funds of a department not subject to the control of the common council and not expended or reserved for indebtedness shall become a part of the general revenues of such department.

(17) Subsections (13), (14), (15) and (16) do not apply to the expenditure of funds, the proceeds of bonds or mortgage certificates, nor the surplus revenues of any water system, lighting system or municipally owned utility. In establishing the budget format with respect to funds and accounts related to proprietary operations, the common council may authorize accounting procedures which follow the uniform system of accounts authorized by the public service commission in the case of municipal utilities or accepted commercial accounting practices in other instances.

(18) The omission from the budget of any of the following items shall not prevent the placing of the same on the tax roll for the levy and collection of the tax and the payment of the money therefor:

(a) The payment of interest on or the principal of any bonded debt of the city when due;

(b) The payment of principal and interest on mortgages or mortgage certificates when due; and

(c) Funds required to be raised by any mandatory provision of law.

History: 1993 a. 184; 1995 a. 378; 2019 a. 42.