End of the Fiscal Year

                The end of the fiscal year is upon us and it is time to prepare for the next year.  In order for the city of Greeley to prepare they must first approve the budget for the upcoming year. The city council must approve the budget by December 15 of every year.

                The budget was first presented on November 20. The final reading was scheduled for December 4.

                “Budget preparation is a tedious project,” John Gates, Mayor Pro Tem, said.  He was referring to the time that it took for the budget to be first presented to the time it took for the final reading.

                One major change in the budget it is the amount of money that the police and fire department receives. It can be seen that it has gone up quite a bit over the past two years, but when the police department receives 8.3% more than 2011. The fire department receives 6.8% more than 2011 as well.

                “If the police and fire are treading water then other government employees are drowning,” councilmember Donna Sapienza said. She was referring to the increase to the police and fire department and how it is an important part of any community.

                As each fiscal year comes and goes you can expect to see certain departments funding continue to grow because of their importance to the community.

                The budget passed unanimously on Tuesday December 4, 2012.