Bridgend County Borough Council’s Post

Amid dramatic cuts to the funding they receive from government, councils continue to face increasing demand for statutory services (the services they are legally required to provide). According to recent UNISON research, councils across England, Scotland and Wales have a collective hole in their finances amounting to more than £4 billion for the coming financial year. Dumfries and Galloway Council has already saved £130 million over past 15 years. Now, the council needs to save a further £30 million over the next three years. In Dumfries and Galloway, the budget consultation starts on Thursday (31 October). Although they have a really good track record of effective consultation and engagement, this will be a tough one. There will be consultation events in all twelve council wards, where citizens can have their say in person, there will be an online budget simulator where you can explore the areas where you want to save money, opportunities to complete surveys and discuss your views with officers. No-one came into public service to cut budgets and services, but this is now the reality of the recent past and into the near future. Dumfries and Galloway Council (full council committee) will consider the consultation results on 12 December, before further consideration and setting an annual budget at committee in late-February. It will be a hugely significant and difficult decision for elected members in Dumfries and Galloway – and all other councils across the UK. www.dumgal.gov.uk

The Sacramento County Recommended Budget for Fiscal Year (FY) 2024-25 has been released. The Board of Supervisors will begin hearings on the Recommended Budget at 9:30 a.m., Wednesday, June 5, in Board Chambers at the Sacramento County Administration building, located at 700 H Street in Sacramento. The public is invited to attend the hearings and be heard on any items in the budget, either publicly or through written comments. Budget hearings will also be telecast live on Metro Cable 14 and the County’s website. The hearings will continue beginning at 9:30 a.m. through June 6 and 7, if necessary. This year’s $8.8 billion spending plan is an increase of 6.9% compared to the FY 2023-24 Adopted Budget. Of the total $8.8 billion budgeted: $3.5 billion is in Enterprise and Special Revenue Fund appropriations (utility rates, fees and other dedicated revenue) $3.8 billion is in General Fund appropriations (funded with $990 million in discretionary resources, $1.5 billion in reimbursements from restricted funds, and the remaining $1.3 billion in Federal, State and fee revenue dedicated to specific purposes) $1.5 billion in Restricted Funds Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gpUjXUqF

FY 2025-FY 2027 CITY OF SAN PABLO BUDGET SURVEY We want to hear from you! As the City of San Pablo develops the new FY 2025–2027 3-Year General Fund Operating Budget, we want to hear from community members about the budget priorities that are most important to local residents, businesses, and interested parties, with the goal of creating a new budget that ensures the City is financially sustainable into the future while also being able to continue to fund and provide the programs and services that our residents and businesses care about the most. Provide input in-person at up coming budget public meetings! Visit the City’s website to find out about upcoming budget public meetings being scheduled during the months of April and May 2024. https://lnkd.in/g_-YpM68 Residents can also find additional budget information, financial documents, previously adopted City budgets, audit reports, and other future fiscal issues facing the City on the City’s website. Take the new On-Line Budget Survey If you cannot attend an in-person meeting, please provide your input in advance by using this survey! Go to the attached link to take the budget survey in either English or Spanish below: https://lnkd.in/gPN_53k6 #sanpablo #budgetsurvey

The Dundee City Council budget #consultation for 2025/26 is now live. Have your say on spending priorities and the level of Council Tax, as well as a range of specific options put forward by officers in response to the Council’s potential budget gap. Take part here: https://lnkd.in/euW8UtjN Participants can respond to as many or as few of the specific options as they wish. Free internet access is available in all libraries, with IT support from staff. Citizens can also take part via paper forms available in libraries and community centres. The Council wants to ensure that as many people as possible take part in the consultation ahead of decisions on the Council budget being set in the new year. The detail of the Council’s funding for 2025/26 is not known at the time of launching the consultation. However, it is predicted that further savings of over £15million could be needed next year – equivalent to a 29% increase in #CouncilTax. The Council will have a clearer indication of any gap in December when next year’s funding settlement is known and details of this will be made public in January in a report to elected members that sets out the implications of the settlement on the Council’s 2025/26 Budget. Council leader Cllr Mark Flynn said: “If you have an opinion that you want to share on spending priorities, Council Tax or any of the officer options then the budget consultation is the way to do that. “It’s important to stress that no decisions have been taken. What we need to do is listen to the views of people, to understand their priorities and any impacts that changes will have on them. “The more people who take part, and the more detailed feedback given, the more informed our decision making will be.”

FY 2025-FY 2027 CITY OF SAN PABLO BUDGET SURVEY   We want to hear from you! As the City of San Pablo develops the new FY 2025–2027 3-Year General Fund Operating Budget, we want to hear from community members about the budget priorities that are most important to local residents, businesses, and interested parties, with the goal of creating a new budget that ensures the City is financially sustainable into the future while also being able to continue to fund and provide the programs and services that our residents and businesses care about the most. Provide input in-person at up coming budget public meetings! Visit the City’s website to find out about upcoming budget public meetings being scheduled during the months of April and May 2024.   https://lnkd.in/g_Pqyj2b Residents can also find additional budget information, financial documents, previously adopted City budgets, audit reports, and other future fiscal issues facing the City on the City’s website. Take the new On-Line Budget Survey If you cannot attend an in-person meeting, please provide your input in advance by using this survey! Go to the attached link to take the budget survey in either English or Spanish below: https://lnkd.in/gPN_53k6 #sanpablo #budgetsurvey

This week at the Committee of the Whole, Council received a report detailing the timelines and process for the 2025 budget. Yes, you heard that right, the 2025 budget. Despite just adopting the 2024 budget in December 2023, our ongoing commitment to fiscal responsibility means continuous work on future budgets. With the new provincial legislation requiring Mayors to provide budget presentations to Council and the community, collaboration remains crucial for a successful budget development process. I’ve encouraged Council members to bring forward potential additions to the budgets, specific to their respective wards. Planning ahead ensures the upcoming budget aligns with our residents’ needs. I’ve asked Ward Councillors to reflect on initiatives, projects, or improvements that could benefit their respective wards and to schedule one-on-one meetings in May for in-depth discussions. This collaborative approach will allow us to prioritize initiatives for inclusion in the 2025 budget, reflecting our community’s diverse needs and aspirations. Starting this process early and allowing ample time for discussion ensures a budget that truly serves our community. I am looking forward to working with each councillor to address the needs of our community. #LeadershipThatGetsThingsDone https://lnkd.in/g4qW-jK4

We need more transparency when it comes to the New York State budget, not less.  That’s why the Citizens Budget Commission joined with Reinvent Albany, Citizens Union, and Common Cause to urge Governor Kathy Hochul to omit provisions that would expand Executive powers and undermine Comptroller oversight.  Some of these provisions were first enacted during the COVID-19 pandemic, but the situation now is vastly different, and these extraordinary powers are no longer justified.  We recommended the Fiscal Year 2026 Executive Budget not propose to:   • Remove competitive bidding requirements and the Comptroller’s oversight via provisions added to individual appropriations;   • Limit the scope of Comptroller review of certain bond transactions, as proposed for the first time in last year’s Executive Budget;   • Allow universal appropriation transfer and interchange authority within the State Operations bill;   • Authorize up to $4 billion in short-term revenue anticipation notes;   • Authorize transfer of $1 billion from the General Fund to the “Health Care Transformation Account," absent more clearly defined uses in appropriations; and   • Increase the “Special Emergency Appropriation” from $1 billion to $2 billion.  Proposals to constrain the oversight authority of the State Comptroller open the door to wasteful spending and impropriety. The State Legislature has largely rejected them during past budget negotiations. Full letter: https://lnkd.in/d4RgrMnV

California's revised budget proposal reduces the overall budget to $285 billion for 2024-2025, with notable cuts impacting housing and economic development programs. At RSG, we specialize in navigating revised budgets and ensuring programs align with the latest fiscal policies and funding adjustments. Reach out to learn more about how these changes could impact you. #CaliforniaBudget #EconomicDevelopment #Housing https://lnkd.in/gAKxHP74

#CaLeg is working through a budget 💰 and the May Revise is only a couple of weeks away. But what exactly does that mean? (For those who don't work in the political industry) How exactly does the process work? Basic High-level Timeline: 📅 Jan. 10 - California Governor submits a budget proposal for the upcoming fiscal year. 📅 Jan. - Budget Bills are designated in each house. Legislative Analyst Office reviews the proposal. 📅 Feb. to May - Budget subcommittees meet and discuss budget proposals. 📅 By EOD May 14 - Governor releases a May Revise. 📅 May - Full Budget committees finalize their proposals. 📅 June - Budget Conference Committee reviews the proposals from the two houses and combines them into one proposal. Both houses vote on the budget proposal. 📅 June 15 - Deadline for the main budget bill(s) to be passed. Things to keep in mind: 💵 California's fiscal year runs from July 1 through June 30. 💵 If the legislature does not pass a budget by June 15, they work unpaid until it is passed. 💵 While the main budget bills must be passed by June 15, trailer bills designating specific funding can continue past the deadline, but must be listed in the main budget bill. Some basic definitions: 💲 Budget Bills - Each house at the beginning of the session designates a span of bills that will specifically address the budget. 💲 Budget Subcommittee - Each house has a budget committee. That committee is broken into subcommittees that focus on specific subject matters. 💲 Legislative Analyst - A nonpartisan office that reviews budgets (and some other legislation) and reports on estimated fiscal impacts. 💲 May Revise - A revision of the budget proposal the governor submitted in January. 💲 Budget Conference Committee - Members of the budget committees for each house come together to combine both houses' proposals into one budget. #cabudget #publicaffairs

This morning in session, the Commissioners approved the 2025 general-fund budget for Delaware County. The $151.2 million budget is an increase of 5.1% over the current budget. It also reflects general economic conditions that have seen a slowing of sales-tax revenues in the current year. Through today, the County’s actual sales-tax revenues -- which represent about two-thirds of the County's overall revenue stream -- are trending 0.4% below the current year predictions and are expected to remain at this level. “Just as our residents and business owners do, we have to adjust our expectations and spending to reflect reality,” said Commissioner Gary Merrell, president of this year's Board of Commissioners. “While our revenue streams are growing modestly, they are not growing at the pace we are accustomed to. Our fellow County elected officials, aware of their responsibilities, worked with us in order to get to a balanced budget.” To learn more, go to: https://lnkd.in/gisvsVWF