- October 13, 2024
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Between public council meetings, Palm Coast City Council members meet one-on-one with city staff about fiscal year 2024 budget priorities.
The council members’ meetings to establish their individual priorities began the week of Feb. 27 and will continue into the first week of March, Palm Coast Communication Director Brittany Kershaw said.
Below is a breakdown of the city's Strategic Action Planning process.
Attending City Council meetings and using the public comment section is the best way for residents to get involved in the process, Kershaw said.
That's when you're front and center in front of your city council members and you're able to have your public comment, have your voice heard. — Brittany Kershaw, Palm Coast Communications Director
“That's when you're front and center in front of your City Council members and you're able to have your public comment, have your voice heard,” she said.
And the earlier, the better: Once the City Council adopts the maximum millage rate in July, Kershaw said, there isn’t much that can be changed from that point on.
For those who can’t make the morning meetings, Kershaw said, the public is welcome to speak at evening business meetings or reach out to their council member.
Kershaw said the city is also working on outreach for the city to engage the public.
“We are doing a big educational push this year on the different funds that are available, the entire budget process, and what that looks like,” Kershaw said.
Palm Coast Mayor David Alfin also announced at the end of 2022 his new "Share with the Mayor" program, in which residents can invite Alfin to their home, churches or community meetings to talk to him about their concerns.
The city has also just jointly launched a community feedback website alongside the county to help build a Parks and Recreation master plan that fits the entire community, Kershaw said.
We are doing a big educational push this year on the different funds that are available, the entire budget process and what that looks like. — Brittany Kershaw, Palm Coast communications director
City Manager Denise Bevan implemented several facets of the start of the budgeting process when she was the interim city manager, Kershaw said, including five-year goal plans for the individual departments to maintain and 10-year capital project plans.
The staff regularly reviews the five-year plans to help them stay on track, she said.
Department heads also use "key performance indicators" alongside the City Council’s priorities to plan ahead for priorities and goals for the coming years, she said.
Staff determines department priorities based on focus areas, Assistant City Manager Lauren Johnson wrote in an email: succession planning, safe and reliable services, data-driven metrics and level of service.
City staff will adjust budgeting based on work orders from the public, hot spots, case management reviews and to maintain acceptable levels of service, Johnson wrote.
Pre-budget planning begins in February, when staff begin presenting information to the council for consideration at workshops.
After the one-on-one meetings — which function as listening and learning meetings for staff — staff will evaluate and adjust.
The budgeting planning doesn’t ever really stop for city staff, Kershaw said.
Once the fiscal year budget is adopted in September, the city staff almost immediately begins looking ahead to the next year. Staff are set to a strict schedule throughout the calendar year in order for things to run smoothly, Kershaw said.
“It is something that we follow very closely, because everything has to be to a certain point for them to … present this to council,” Kershaw said.
After staff meet in January to decide on priorities, Johnson and department heads begin presenting information to the council for consideration in February.
Now, coming into March and through May, department heads will individually present in-depth presentations on the their departments' needs.
These presentations will explain the departments' 10-year outlook and budgeting process, Kershaw said. The city will also have an economist from the University of Florida present about the nation’s finances.
In June and July, the City Council will adopt a maximum millage rate after it reviews information from the county’s property appraiser, Kershaw said, allowing it to build the final budget based on projected tax income.
Right now, until March 10, council members are reviewing the strategic action planning process with staff.
The next budget-related meeting will be on March 21, when the council will review the Annual Comprehensive Financial Report.
