City Budget

The city budget is a spending plan setting out anticipated income revenue (like taxes, grants, etc) and determining how those funds will be spent over a years time.   The City Administrator works with the finance department to present an annual budget to the City Council, who then approves it.   The budget is a policy document which establishes the authority to levy and collect taxes and spend those dollars for the benefit of the whole community.

Cities rarely have enough money to be able to everything needed in a community in any given year.  Budgeting, as a process, is concerned with developing an acceptable balance between costs, services and improvements needed in the city.  It actually works very much like your budget at home, accounting for the purchase of fixed expenses (like utility bills), consumable goods (groceries and shoes) and planning ahead for financing of big ticket items and improvements (a new car or having your roof replaced.)

State law requires the City Council to adopt an annual budget and certify it to the County Auditor by March 15th of each year preceding the beginning of the fiscal year on July 1st. The budget must show planned expenditures for each program, income from sources other than property taxes and set the property tax rate expressed in dollars per thousand of assessed value.

All cities in Iowa are required to use a budget format covering nine major areas of public service:  Public Safety, Public Works, Health & Social Services, Culture & Recreation, Community & Economic Development, General Government, Debt Service/Capital Improvement Projects, Business Type, and Non-Program.   When you see notice of Ottumwa's City budget published, it is broken down into those categories. 

City of Ottumwa - Finance Department
105 E. Third Street
Ottumwa, Iowa 52501
Phone:(641) 683-0622
Fax: (641) 683-0613