Montrose, CO — The public will have an opportunity to receive information and provide feedback regarding the City of Montrose's 2023 budget at an open house planned for Tuesday, October 18, in the City Council Chambers located at 107 S. Cascade Avenue. The event will begin at 4:30 p.m. with an overview of the budget, followed by informal, one-on-one discussions with city officials who will take comments and provide additional information.
The city budgets on an annual basis for a fiscal year that begins January 1. The City Charter (Article V, Finance, Appropriations, and Taxation) outlines the basic budget procedure that is used to create, approve, and implement the annual budget.
(City of Montrose Finance Director Shani Wittenberg addresses attendees of a budget open house held inside the City Council chambers at 107 S Cascade Avenue in 2019.)
The city manager is required to prepare a recommended annual budget for the upcoming fiscal year and provide it to the City Council on or before October 15. The budget development process begins in early summer with each department preparing a preliminary budget estimate based on an analysis of its operational needs for the coming year. Departmental budget estimates are carefully reviewed and adjusted by the city manager and are then combined into a draft budget for the entire city organization. The draft budget is then provided to the City Council for review. Two public hearings are held in November to approve the budget and appropriation ordinance.
Residents who are unable to attend the open house are encouraged to view the proposed budget at CityofMontrose.org/Budget. The site includes an electronic version of the budget, a link to submit comments, documents related to past and current budgets, and more information about how the public can actively participate in the budget process.
Copies of the proposed budget are also available at City Hall (433 South First Street) from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Thursday. All interested citizens are encouraged to accept the opportunity to give written and verbal comments.