City of La Porte Operating Budget 1999-2000

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HOW TO USE THIS BUDGET DOCUMENT A READERS GUIDE The City of La Porte Budget Document provides comprehensive information about City policies, goals, objectives, financial structure, operations, and an organizational ' framework that shows how City services are maintained and improved for fiscal year 1999-2000. The preparation of a budget is, at best, a complex process. Yet, the process affords both an interesting and challenging opportunity to reassess plans and overall goals and means for accomplishing them. It is through this effort that the budget could be the single most important policy document produced each year. The process begins many months before presentation to the Council with estimates of City expenditures, revenues and reserves to determine the City's available funds. With this groundwork, departmental expenditure requests are made and subsequently reviewed. This years' budget process began in May. ' The Budget serves as an operational tool and planning guide, wherein the present policies and plans for the future are presented for the scrutiny of citizens, the ultimate consumers of municipal services. ' The budget document includes summaries, mission statements, and organizational charts for each department. Goals and objectives, performance indicators, staffing levels, a narrative explaining services, and the line item detail are all presented on a ' divisional basis. BUDGET FORMAT The document is divided into twelve major sections: Introduction, Budget Information and Summaries, General Fund, Utility Fund, Enterprise Funds, Internal Service Funds, Capital Improvement Funds, Debt Service Funds, Miscellaneous, Financial Management Policies, Statistical Information, and Line Item Detail. ' The Introduction Section includes the City Manager's Message which is addressed to the Mayor and City Council and explains the major policies, trends and issues which affected the development of the 1999-2000 budget. This section also contains information on the Budgetary Plan and Process, an explanation of our Fund Organization, a description of the City and it's economic background, and a copy of the City's Long Range Goals. ' The Budget Information and Summaries Section includes an overall summary of the Budget, information on taxes, and summaries of both revenues and expenditures that might interest the lay reader. The ordinances adopting the Budget and levying taxes, and the resolution adopting the 1999 Appraisal Roll is presented in this section. Additionally, the Personnel Summary which recaps staffing levels by division for a three- year period is included in this section. Of particular interest to the lay reader would be the Combined Summary of Changes in Working Capital. u