Amending Chapter 2 new Article 7 Entitled Budgetary Procedures

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CITY ®f SOUTH BEND COMMON COUNCIL 441 COUNTY -CITY BUILDING SOUTH BEND, INDIANA 46601 AREA 219 284 -9321 LEWIS A. McGANN President April 7, 1981 JOSEPH T. SERGE Vice President The South Bend Common Council JOHN VOORDE Council Chanbers Chairman, Committee of the Whole Fourth Floor County -City Building South Bend, Indiana 46601 JOSEPH T. SERGE First District Dear Councilmen: WALTER M. SZVMKOWIAK Second District Since last years budget review, we have been in BEVERLIE J. BECK Third District contact .with several Indiana cities and organizations. LEWIS A. McGANN We have received many suggestions which we strongly Fourth District believe will improve our annual budget review. ROBERT G. TAYLOR Fifth District The attached Bill is a result of many hours of WALTER T. KOPCZYNSKI Sixth District research, review, and analysis. It is aimed at improving BEVERLY D. CRONE the budget process by requiring information which directly At Large affects our tax dollars. With this information the City RICHARD C. DOMBROWSKI Council will be better able to work with the City Adminis- At Large tration in evaluating city priorities and the quality of JOHN VOORDE At Large city services, in these ever tightening budgetary times. The Bill calls for a Proposed Line -Item Budget, which we have used in the past. However we are requesting various other information to be included in it so that the average person could turn to a specific Bureau or Department and be able to see where our tax dollars are being spent. We are also requiring a "Cost Center Narrative" from each Department or Bureau. This is basically a four -part form which would include a listing of goals and objectives; various budgetary history; and a "plain english" description of the budget requests. Since the review of the budget and the fixing of the tax rate and tax levy are the most important duties performed