The Annual Operating Budget is prepared to provide the city a financial plan for the coming year. Financial plans cannot be prepared without defining the city's goals and how it intends to go about accomplishing those goals. Because of this each year's Annual Operating Budget is a policy document.
The budget is also an action plan intended to give the public, elected officials, and city staff information about what the city is doing and how efficiently it is being done. Lastly, the budget serves as the primary communication tool, formally transmitting the city's financial and operating plan for the year.
