Assistant City Manager Shanna Sims-Bradish said at the council's April 25 meeting that the city started working on the 2022-23 budget on March 22 by analyzing goals for the upcoming year. Since then, the City Manager’s Office and the Budget Office cooperated with several city departments on revised fiscal year 2021-22 estimates and departmental requests for the upcoming year.
Preliminary results presented Feb. 7 from the first three months of the current fiscal year showed increased revenue for hotels, city parks and the Sherrill Park Golf Course. Sims-Bradish told council at the time that the city was cautiously optimistic that this trend would continue for the rest of the year.
Sims-Bradish said Richardson seeks constant input on its budget through various boards and commissions as well as from meetings with homeowners associations and key community partners. In addition, Richardson also conducts public meetings on city projects/initiatives as well as public hearings on proposed developments, Sims-Bradish said.
Throughout the year, “state of service” reports from the city aim to provide an overview on each of the city’s departmental activities and trends. Key topics discussed in those reports include public safety, development activity, the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report and the arts.
Departmental requests for the 2022-23 fiscal year are due to the city’s Budget Office by May 6, with departmental budget meetings scheduled to be held May 16-June 3, according to Sims-Bradish. Richardson City Council will hold budget workshops July 25-26. July 25 is also the day the city will receive its certified property tax rolls.
Richardson plans to hold three more budget briefings during City Council meetings. First up is a review of the Fire Department annual report May 16. City Council will receive updates on its Capital Projects and the Drainage Fund on June 6 while also listening to a briefing about the North Texas Municipal Water District. On June 20, updates will be provided to the City Council on Richardson’s Information Technology department as well as the Transportation and Mobility department.
According to city documents, Richardson City Manager Don Magner is expected to file a proposed budget by Aug. 12 and present it to council during its Aug. 15 meeting. The city will then hold two public hearings, one on the tax rate Aug. 22 and one on the proposed 2022-23 budget on Aug. 29. An overall budget is scheduled to be adopted Aug. 29.
For more information on the updated budget timeline, visit here.
