At the Oro Valley Town Council meeting on April 17, 2019, Town Manager Mary Jacobs introduced the budget plan for the 2019-20 fiscal year. This thoughtfully prepared budget amounts to $110.3 million. You can check out the full budget here.
This balanced budget is designed to support the goals set out in the Town Council’s Strategic Leadership Plan. This plan is rooted in the Your Voice, Our Future General Plan, which was approved by local voters. You can read more about this plan here.
There’s a notable update this year in how the town will report its financial reserves, also known as contingency funds. This might look like a $32.6 million reduction in the budget compared to last year. To follow best practices in municipal budgeting, these reserves are no longer included in the overall budget unless they are expected to be spent, which is about $5.5 million.
Jacobs explains, “Reporting the Town’s contingency funds separately from actual operating expenses helps give residents a better picture of our spending plan.” The actual operational budget for the 2019/20 fiscal year is $107.5 million, which is a $1 million decrease from the current year’s $108.5 million.
The town will continue to report its contingency reserves in the Fund Summaries section of the budget and in the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report.
In her message to the Council, Jacobs provided more insights into how the budget was developed and highlighted the investment in seven focus areas of the Strategic Leadership Plan. To read her full message, click here.
For those interested in the budget process, several public meetings are scheduled at the Oro Valley Town Hall, located at 11000 N. La Cañada Drive. Community members are encouraged to attend and participate. If you can’t make it in person, feel free to email your comments to [email protected].
Public Meeting Schedule:
– April 24 at 6 p.m. – Council Budget Study Session, Council Chambers
– May 8 at 6 p.m. – Council Budget Study Session, Council Chambers
– May 14 at 4 p.m. – Budget and Finance Commission, Hopi Room
– May 15 at 6 p.m. – Council Regular Session, public hearing on proposed budget, Council Chambers
– June 5 at 6 p.m. – Council Regular Session, public hearing on final budget adoption, Council Chambers