After cancelling this week’s city council meeting to make room for requested vacation time, the city council will hold a budget meeting on Tuesdsay, August 27. Normally, there is not a meeting of city council members the last week of each month, but August 27 had been identified earlier in the year as a date of a possible budget meeting, and that meeting has now been confirmed. 

City council must approve the $391 million general fund budget by September 15 for the new fiscal year which begins October 1.

Last week, city council approved the second cancellation of regularly scheduled council meetings so far this year, both of which had been requested to allow for additional time off earlier in 2013. The first cancelled meeting was the Tuesday before the 4th of July holiday. City staff determined that July and August would make the most appropriate days to take off, and this week’s meeting was cited as feasible due to the numerous budgetary meetings being hosted by individual council districts.

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City Manager Pat West was still polling councilmembers to determine availability for a budget hearing on the 27th when Schipske voiced her concern and confusion over the cancellation.

“If we cancel Tuesday, we [would only] have only 14 working days [from the 27th] to pass a $3.2 billion budget,” she said at last week’s meeting, referring to the city’s total 2013-21014 budget. 

“We asked staff if August would be an appropriate time, and this is what they came back with,” Mayor Foster responded. “I might add, we have been talking about this budget since March. This is not a new thing.”

Three councilmembers are hosting their community budget meetings this week including 8th District Councilmember Al Austin, 3rd District Councilmember Gary DeLong and 7th District Councilmember James Johnson. There are also four Budget Oversight Committee meetings on the calendar before the September 15 deadline, including one at 3:30PM today. 

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A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that the August 27 meeting was scheduled over concerns with the cancellation of the August 20 council meeting. The August 27 meeting had been tentatively scheduled as early as July and was confirmed this week.