Parth Patel, Acting Assistant Budget Director, City of Fort Lauderdale
Although fiscal year 2025 just began, it’s already time to start planning for the next budget cycle! As folks return from the holidays, municipalities have a tough task ahead of themselves: budgeting for the next fiscal year. Below is a snapshot of Fort Lauderdale’s annual budget development process with information on how the City ensures community engagement.
In January, staff kicks off the annual budget process with the City Commission’s annual goal-setting workshop, which identifies the highest priority needs over the next fiscal year. From there, staff begin developing their base budget and enhanced funding proposals to align with the Commission’s priorities while ensuring the prudent use of fiscal resources. Throughout the month of May, each department presents its budget and highest-priority program enhancements to the Budget Advisory Board. These meetings are open to the public. The real fun begins in June when the City releases detailed budget information in a preliminary budget memo. The preliminary budget includes departmental line items, key performance metrics, and program enhancement requests.
In July, the City Manager submits a balanced and sustainable proposed budget to the City Commission. During this time, staff actively engages the community and solicits neighbor feedback through several mediums, including homeowner association meetings, budget forums, online transparency tools, and social media. This collaborative process helps build consensus from a variety of stakeholders and ensures the budget reflects the needs of the community.
For more information on the engagement activities and the process itself, read Acting Assistant Budget Manager Keith Farrell’s article, which can be found on pages 75 and 79 of the FY 2025 Adopted Budget Book: Annual Budgets | City of Fort Lauderdale, FL
