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HomeMy WebLinkAboutres1985-0381 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 Introduced by Proposed by_ Date RESOLUTION NO. 85 -38 Becker Becker July 25. 1985 A RESOLUTION ESTABLISHING WHATCOM COUNTY BUDGET POLICY FOR 1986 WHEREAS, long range fiscal integrity and stability are the most important goals of county budgeting; and, WHEREAS, the upper limits of county revenues are almost entirely fixed by state law, and Whatcom County in 1985 levies at the maximum allowable rate for sales and property taxes; and, WHEREAS, the County should be prepared for the possibility of the end of the Federal Shared Revenue program; and, WHEREAS, the County Current Expense Fund has an ongoing problem with an excess of expenditures over actual revenues which must be brought into balance before cash reserves are exhausted, NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Whatcom County Council sets the following goals as general policy to guide the Executive in preparing. her recommended budget for 1986: 1. In view of the long range goal of balancing expenditures with revenues in the Current Expense Fund, projections of revenue and current level expenditures should be made over the next two years. The 1986 budget should reduce expenditures from current level if the two -year forecast indicates a continuing imbalance between revenue and expenditure. 2. An ending fund balance in the Current Expense Fund of a minimum of $500,000 is an appropriate amount (not including potential supplementals) to address cash flow needs. Ordinance - 1. 1 3. In addition to the ending fund balance, cash reserves in 2 the Current Expense Fund should be provided as follows: 3 4 a. The Disaster and Emergency Contingency Fund should be continued at a minimum amount 5 of $200,000. 6 7 b. The Expo 186 Fund should be preserved at least at its current level to address special 8 needs of county agencies that may arise during 9 the 1986 Expo. 10 11 C. If projections show that current level expenditures will exceed revenues for 1986 or 12 1987, an additional substantial sum should be 13 14 set aside as a budget shortfall reserve for 1987. 15 4. Substantial monies received from Federal Shared Revenue 16 in 1986 and from other appropriate sources should be set aside in 17 a new Capital Fund. A budget for the Capital Fund should be 18 presented by the Executive along with the capital resolution. The 19 budget should reflect the initiation of a long -range systematic 20 planning process for major repair, maintenance, upgrading, 21 remodeling and acquisition of the physical plant and equipment 22 23 associated with Current Expense Fund agencies. It is the inten- tion of the Council that this fund be ongoing, to be replenished 24 each year from Current Expense revenues or other appropriate 25 sources of revenue. 26 DATED this 8th day of August , 1985. 27 WHATCOM COUNTY COUNCIL 28 / 29 ATTEST.: ' William P. Roehl 30 d4 Chairman Carol Ebergson 31 Clerk of the Council 32 APPROVED AS TO FORM: Randall J. Watts, Civil Deputy Prosecuting Attorney i jf .J