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2016 Budget Outlook
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From:
Kara Skinner, Chief Financial Officer
Summary:
Each year through the annual budget process, the City projects revenues from all sources and departments examine their operations, look for operational efficiencies, and make budget requests to provide core municipal services and to achieve both the Executive Branch and Legislative Branch strategic goals.
This 2016 Budget Outlook will largely focus on the City's General Fund as it is the largest fund through which the City provides municipal services and the fund that the City has the most discretion with regard to how the monies are allocated. Other funds available to provide core municipal services are the Public Safety Sales Tax (PSST) Fund which is restricted to public safety expenditures, the Trails Open Space and Parks Tax (TOPS) Fund, which is restricted to trails, open space and parks expenditures, the Conservation Trust Fund (CTF or "Lottery Fund") which is restricted to expenditures on parks, grants and gift trust funds which are restricted to the specific purpose as designated by the grant or gift. The City also has six enterprises (Airport, Cemeteries, Development Review, Golf, Parking and Pikes Peak America's Mountain), which operate like a business, with user fees covering all costs, and that receive no local taxpayer support. Those funds will not be discussed in this outlook, but their budgets will be discussed in detail during the City Council Budget Work Sessions on October 19 and 20, 2015.
General Fund Revenue:
The current estimates for 2016 General Fund revenues is $267.6 million. This is $8.9 million or 3.5% more than the 2015 Original General Fund Budget. This estimate includes:
- An increase in sales and use tax revenue of $9.5 million, which is approximated a 6.3% increase from the 2015 Original Budget and 2.8% over the current end-of-year estimate. A portion of the estimated increase in sales and use tax revenue is ...
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