BRADENTON — Manatee County Commissioners will convene for their first work session meeting of 2024 this Tuesday, April 2. The meeting will be the first of several work sessions scheduled as part of the county’s FY24-25 budget process.
Along with the county commission’s responsibility for establishing local policy, procedures, and programs through the adoption of ordinances and resolutions and the commissioners’ responsibility for appointing a county administrator, the commissioners are also responsible for adopting the annual operating budget for all departments and offices organized under the commission.
In Florida, county government fiscal years begin on Oct. 1 and end on Sept. 30, as opposed to the state government’s fiscal year, which begins on July 1 and ends on June 30. Local school districts in Florida follow the state’s fiscal year schedule.
Manatee County’s Department of Financial Management prepares the county's budget. It is currently led by Chief Financial Officer Sheila McLean. The county administrator is responsible for leading the budget preparation and recommending an efficient and effective annual budget that can adequately fund and support county programs as directed by commissioners. The county administrator is responsible for ensuring the timely preparation of the tentative and final budget and will present a recommended budget to the board for consideration.
County commissioners approve the annual budget through a majority vote of the board.
During Tuesday’s work session, CFO McLean will present the Financial and Budget Execution Summary to commissioners. The presentation will update commissioners on last fiscal year’s budget and the county's current financial standings. This information will help lay the foundation for the commissioners' consideration during the budget adoption process for FY24-25.
McLean’s presentation will cover the county’s financial position at the end of FY23, including its cash balances, reserves, and investments, and a financial summary of the county as of Feb. 2024. Additional topics will include updates on funding sources and revenues, CIP projects, the county’s debt status and debt funding plan, and the millage.
The next BOCC budget work session scheduled for the FY24-25 budget process will be held on June 12, during which Administrator Charlie Bishop will present the recommended budget to commissioners. This will be Bishop’s first budget process as county administrator. Bishop was appointed to the position by commissioners in Sept. 2023, just as the last fiscal year’s budget headed to adoption hearings. CFO McLean oversaw the budget preparation last fiscal year, and this will be her second year overseeing its preparation.
Click here to access the April 2 BOCC work session meeting agenda.
Here are some important public meeting dates scheduled as part of the budget process:
June 12 - Budget Work Session
9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
County Administrator presents the recommended budget
June 17 - Budget Work Session
9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Constitutional officers' budget presentation followed by budget review presentation
June 18 - Budget Work Session
9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
FY25-29 Capital Improvements Plan presentation
June 19 - Budget Work Session
9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Fund Analysis Summary
Other important dates within the county’s budget timeline include property value certifications anticipated by July 1, the budget reconciliation meeting scheduled for Aug. 1 and two public hearings in September required for the budget’s adoption with exact dates yet to be determined.
Click here to view the county’s full FY25 budget schedule.
Manatee County’s Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller also has a role in the county’s fiscal responsibilities. The clerk—who, like commissioners, is an elected official—is responsible for overseeing county funds, including accounting, the review and issue of payments, and safeguarding county assets. The clerk is also responsible for preparing and publishing interim and annual financial reports.
The annual reports are prepared following the close of the previous fiscal year and include a comprehensive financial report, a debt report, a utilities financial report, the port authority financial report, and the Clerk’s Popular Report.
As suggested by its name, the Popular Report is perhaps the most popular among citizens as it explains Manatee County’s financial health in terms and format that is more accessible to the average citizen. Unlike the annual comprehensive financial report, the Popular Report is less in-depth while providing an overall financial perspective of the county and all five constitutional offices. The popular report provides residents with information about the county’s past fiscal year’s health and budget as the new fiscal year’s budget process begins.
Click here to view the clerk’s end-of FY23 Popular Report.
Click here to view the clerk’s end-of FY23 County Debt Report.
To review other annual reports prepared by the Clerk’s General Accounting and Reporting Division, visit the Manatee Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller’s website or click here.
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David Daniels
Very informative. And so important for us to become more familiar with - especially when we have little reason to trust that decision makers will do what is best for the long-term interest of our county.
Sunday, March 31 Report this
WTF
It's a simple corrupt process. The Administrator instructs/steers the staff to what the County Commissioners want to hear while hiding funds in the process, the ultimate shell game played on the taxpayers of Manatee County.
Don't tell me of deception; a lie is a lie, whether it be a lie to the eye or a lie to the ear.
Samuel Johnson
Tuesday, April 2 Report this
sandy
Didn't the BOCC cancel most budget workshops one year?
Tuesday, April 2 Report this