calendar_today Endorsement must be collected on or before July 1, 2020.

Status: Collecting Signature

Shall Section 78 of the Charter be amended persuant to Ordinance 8270 to change the time for the Planning Department to submit its recommendations for public improvements from sixty days to thirty days before the submission of the budget to be consistent with the city's budgeting process?

Full Text Of Initiative

Under the current budget process, the Department of Planning, Housing and Sustainability is required to make any recommendations regarding capital projects no later than the beginning of August. The department relies on the recommendations of the Planning Board. Charter Section 78, adopted in 1951, has been interpreted by staff to mean the Planning Board must review and pass along their recommended capital improvement program (“CIP”) 60 days prior to the first public hearing on the budget. Practically speaking, the 60-day requirement requires departments to begin developing their CIP budget in late February or early March, prior to receiving the previous year’s ending financial status, let alone updated projections for current and future years. A principal reason for this extended time frame is the need to review the CIP with respective boards and the executive budget team prior to Planning Board consideration. Additionally, there are additional challenges to linking the full budget picture to council because staff develops the CIP and the operating budget on different timelines. The council charter committee recommended changing the 60-day period to a 30-day period. The proposed change would allow the development of the CIP to be closer aligned with the overall budget and allow for more accurate revenue projections to be incorporated into the CIP.