Agenda - Council - 09/13/1982 - Special

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~ · Contact the senior citizens organiza- tions directly concerning reventie · sharing public meetings · · Give special attention to the location of the meeting place to assure accessibility to senior citizens. Things To Remember I. Stale, county, and local governments -- receive revenue sharing funds. Each of · these levels of government must hold I revenue sharing public hearings before setting this money aside for specific uses. · You can stale your concerns about the · uses of revenue sharing money to the responsible officials at each §overnmen- I iai level. However, lo take full advantage · of these opportunities, you m,u, st under- stand how each governments budget I development process works. 2. You must be aware of your government's · budget calendar. The calendar in most I cases will describe the budget develop- ment process. The length of the fiscal year, the date on which development of a · new budget begins, and the date when the proposed bud§et is presented to the i §overnment's legislative body are crucial points in the budget calendar. You should also know which items are required to be I stated in the budget and which §overn- w ment officials are responsible for assem- _ bling the budget. I. Your government may be required to publish an annual report. If so, the report i will contain information about the government's financial status and organi- zation. Interested members of the public may find the report helpful in discovering trends in the ways revenue sharing funds and general revenues are being spent. The budgets of some governments may be changed or amended during the course of the year. However, if amendments, on a cumulatively basis, change the uses of $1,000 or 25 percent (whichever is greater) of revenue sharing money in- cluded in an enacted budget, they will be considered as a "major chanye." In this case, public notice and hearing require- ments must be folIowed before the legislative body votes on the proposed amendment. Questions to Ask Listed below are questions ~hat should be asked in order to evaluate the impact of revenue sharing money on your community. · How much general revenue sharing money has been received by your State, county, and local flovernment? · Which officials, agencies, or depart- ments are responsible for determining and coordinating spending priorities in your government? / · What is your government's timetable for preparing and adopting its budget? · For what uses havia general revenue sharing funds b~en };pent in the past? · Are revenue shanng funds being spent to address cOmmumW needs? IV. FORMS OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT To get involved in the local decision-making process, you must know how your city and county governments work. The responsibili- ties of governmental administration are divided among elected and apointed officials in different ways. Many local §overnments across the country have similar organizational structures; however, execu- tive and legislative, responsibilities are frequently exercised in quite different ways. A general description of the most typical forms of local government is presented below. This information is limited to those powers and. responsibilities of government officials which have to do with the revenue sharing participation requirements. Municipal Governments There are three basic forms of municipal government with the exception of the Town Meeting: · Mayor/Council