Proposed 2019 Levy Supported Operating Budget Table of Contents
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PROPOSED 2019 LEVY SUPPORTED OPERATING BUDGET TABLE OF CONTENTS FINANCIAL SERVICES REPORT............................................................................................................................ Section 1 GUIDE TO FULL TIME EQUIVALENTS ................................................................................................................... Section 2 REQUISITIONS ....................................................................................................................................................... Section 3 PROPOSED LEVY SUPPORTED OPERATING BUDGET ...................................................................................... Section 4 SUPPLEMENTARY DOCUMENTATION ................................................................................................................. Section 5 Working together with our community Page 1 of 17 Special Council Meeting – January 23, 2019 Subject: Proposed 2019 Levy Supported Operating Budget Report Number: FS 19-03 Division: Financial Services Department: Financial Planning and Reporting Purpose: For Decision Executive Summary: Section 290 (1) of the Municipal Act, 2001 requires that each year local municipalities prepare and adopt estimates for the purposes of the municipality including amounts sufficient to pay all debts falling due within the year, and amounts required for any board, commission or other body. Preparing and adopting annual budget estimates determines Norfolk County’s revenue requirements that will need to be collected through taxation and user rates. The Levy Supported Operating Budget is the final of four annual budgets presented to Council for review and adoption. The review and approval of the Proposed 2019 Levy Supported Operating Budget will determine the amount of taxes to be levied on property owners annually. Discussion: Council will be reviewing the Proposed 2019 Rate Supported Operating Budget on January 8, 2019 and the Proposed 2019 Capital 10 Year Plan, including the 2019 Capital Budget and 2020 – 2028 Capital Forecast, on January 9, 2018. Review and approval of the Proposed 2019 Board of Health and Levy Supported Operating Budgets is the final component of the 2019 budget process. The Levy Supported Operating Budget outlines the business priorities and service levels for levy supported operations in Norfolk County and sets the level of taxation required to support those activities. FS19-03 Page 2 of 17 Developing the Proposed 2019 Levy Supported Operating Budget Developing the Proposed 2019 Levy Supported Operating Budget (Proposed 2019 Budget) has been a collaborative process involving staff input from every Division and Department within the County. Staff across all Divisions worked with Financial Services staff to undertake the tremendous effort required into developing the Proposed 2019 Budget. The starting point for developing the Proposed 2019 Budget is the underlying principle that levels of service, in the Approved 2018 Levy Supported Operating Budget, will remain. Staff review these services for the most cost efficient service delivery method when preparing the budget requirements for 2019. Changes in levels of service come from two sources: firstly, from reports approved by Council throughout the year, referred to as Council Approved Initiatives, secondly, from proposed changes presented as New Budget Initiatives in the Proposed 2019 Budget. For the 2018 budget process, Council was provided with a preview of estimated budget drivers, proposed new initiatives and a summary of initiatives Council approved in 2017. This exercise provided Council with preliminary budget information for consideration prior to the actual budget deliberations. However, given the election this year, Council was provided with a high level overview of Norfolk County’s budget process on November 23, 2018 as opposed to preliminary budget information. The Proposed 2019 Budget is prepared in a number of identifiable components or segments that are each reviewed independently by the Senior Leadership Team (SLT) during the initial budget review. Upon completion of the initial review of all the budget segments, Financial Services staff consolidates all of the components and provides SLT with the Preliminary Budget for review. It is at this point that the overall impact of the budget is seen, including the potential impact on the Net Levy Requirement and an estimate of the tax rates required. SLT then reviews the Preliminary Budget and makes additional adjustments as appropriate. The Proposed 2019 Budget, presented herein, is as approved by SLT and recommended to Council for consideration. Proposed 2019 Levy Supported Operating Budget Format The following provides a description of the information provided on the Proposed 2019 Budget pages: 2018 Forecasted Actuals This presents an estimate of year-end expenditures and revenues. The FMW Budget System produces year-end projections based upon the spending pattern from previous years. Staff in each Department/Division review these projections and make FS19-03 Page 3 of 17 adjustments where they determine there are differences between the projection and their knowledge of actual events. Financial Services staff have reviewed these forecasted amounts with the operating departments and adjustments have been made where appropriate. Please note these projections have not received any detailed year-end review and any year-end corrections are outstanding. In addition, no formal audit review has been undertaken. 2019 Adjusted Budget This presents the cost, net of revenues, of providing the levels of service approved by Council in the 2018 Budget, with adjustments for inflation and other known economic impacts. This is, essentially, a “business as usual” budget with no provision for new services or changes in levels of service and is generally referred to as the Base Budget. 2019 ADJ BUD % This column presents the percentage change in the 2019 Adjusted Budget over the Incr/(Decr) approved 2018 Budget. This is the change in the Base Budget and does not include any changes approved by Council during the year. Values that are presented in (brackets) indicate a decrease in the 2019 Adjusted Budget over the approved 2018 Budget for that category. Council Approved Council Approved Initiatives are adjustments to the Base Budget approved by Council Initiatives (through budget amendment reports) during the year, after the 2018 Budget was approved and in advance of preparation of the Proposed 2019 Budget. These changes to the Proposed 2019 Budget are presented separately from New Budget Initiatives as they have already been approved by Council whereas the New Budget Initiatives are for proposed changes. New Budget Initiatives New Budget Initiatives are proposals for enhancement or reduction of existing services or for new services recommended by SLT for consideration by Council during the budget review process. Details of all Council Approved Initiatives and New Budget Initiatives are provided in a separate document entitled Council Approved and New Budget Initiatives. 2019 Proposed Budget This column presents the Proposed 2019 Budget as recommended by SLT, including the 2019 Adjusted or Base Budget, Council Approved Initiatives and the New Budget Initiatives recommended by SLT. FS19-03 Page 4 of 17 2019 Budget $ This is the change – increase or (decrease) in dollars ($) for each type of expenditure Incr/(Decr) and revenue and percentage change (%) at the total levels – of the Proposed 2019 2019 Budget % Budget over the approved 2018 Budget. Incr/(Decr) EXPENDITURES Salaries & Benefits Salaries and benefits are based on a consistent full-time equivalent (FTE) of staff that provided a similar level of service in the prior year. The estimated cost is based upon negotiated contracts for salaries and wages, adjusted for anticipated annual increments, and the cost of employee benefits based upon statutory requirements and contracts with benefits providers. Materials & Supplies, These projected costs are based on the prior year’s requirements with economic Services, adjustments for inflation and other economic adjustments based on known/ Transfer Payments/Grants established impacts on existing costs and contracts to provide a similar level of service. Interdepartmental Charges Interdepartmental Charges are for the allocation of support or administrative costs from one division/department to another. The allocation of Interdepartmental Charges is done to reflect the true operating cost, including support and administrative costs provided by another division. Also see Interdepartmental Recoveries in the Revenues Section. As this is an allocation of costs from one division/department to others, Interdepartmental Charges and Interdepartmental Recoveries should offset each other, however, there is a net difference because of the amount of Interdepartmental Charges allocated to Water and Wastewater Operations. Financial These are costs associated with insurance premiums for buildings and vehicles, write- offs of uncollectible accounts and bank service charges. Infrastructure Funding This is for funds included in the Proposed 2019 Budget that are contributed to Reserve and Reserve Funds to provide funding for replacement of existing Tangible Capital Assets or for major improvements to extend their useful life. In addition, this category includes costs associated with the repayment of principal FS19-03 Page 5 of 17 and interest on long term debt issued by the County. The Proposed 2019 Budget includes an estimate