Mayor Andy BerkeBUDGET TIMELINE
Chattanooga city government released a tentative schedule for the 2013-2014 fiscal year budget. It is:July 30: Present to councilAug. 6: Begin City Council committee reviewAug. 20: First readingAug. 27: Second readingSource: Chattanooga
The Chattanooga budget is going to be delayed for two months because of Mayor Andy Berke’s restructuring of city government and the shuffling of money for new departments.
“Basically, we took a meaningful comprehensive approach to reorient city government around key priorities, and so we want to take an equally meaningful comprehensive approach to a budget that will focus on those key priorities,” said Lacie Stone, spokeswoman for Berke.
A timeline provided to the Chattanooga City Council shows the administration plans to deliver the 2013-14 fiscal year budget by July 30. The council will vote on an interim budget tonight to extend the current budget for three months past the June 30 deadline, the day the fiscal year officially ends.
Stone said because of the restructuring of government, there is “no doubt” the administration will not be able to have a budget in hand by June 30. Since Berke took office, he has created three new departments and axed four previous departments.