2023-2024 Biennial Budget

Introduction

The City of West Richland operates on a calendar year basis but adopts its budget on a biennial basis. Budgets are adopted and presented at the fund level which constitutes the legal authority for expenditures at that level.

For accounting and reporting purposes, the City utilizes a comprehensive basis of accounting other than accounting principles generally accepted in the United States. The basis of accounting refers to when revenues and expenditures are recognized in the accounts and reported in the financial statements. Revenues are recognized only when cash is received and expenditures are recognized when paid, including those properly chargeable against the reporting year(s) budget appropriations as required by state law. Purchases of capital assets are expensed

during the year of acquisition. There is no capitalization of capital assets, nor allocation of depreciation expense. Inventory is expensed when purchased. The City utilizes this same basis of accounting for budget preparation and reporting.

This budget will be used as a central financial planning document for all operating revenue and expenditure decisions during 2023 and 2024. The budget establishes the level of services to be provided by each department and embodies the City Council's collective prioritization of service delivery options.

The Budget Process

The City's budget process began in late spring/early summer of the fiscal year 2022 with departments preparing requests for new staff and/or programs to their current budget that will address emerging issues and other operational needs. Also, they evaluated their basic service needs at this time. Additionally, the City's strategic plan was reviewed and the process to update it commenced. While this was occurring, the City's Finance Director conducted an analysis of the departmental base budgets and the revenue outlook for the coming biennium to determine the availability of funds for existing and new programs or services. Departmental budgets were submitted to the Finance Department, which compiled a proposed budget for the Mayor that consisted of revenue estimates and appropriations. The Mayor reviewed the proposed budget in detail and developed a preliminary budget recommendation.

More specifically, the budget process is guided by a calendar to ensure orderly and timely preparation and approval.

Budget Calendar 

Additional Information

• View the Mayor’s 2023 and 2024 Proposed Budget, and Budget Message in the Archive Center