Chief Financial Officer:
Kyle Demeester
Finance Manager:
Dawn Runager
Department Phone:
(256) 341-4550
Office Address:
701 Railroad St, NW
Depot
Decatur, AL 35601
Office Hours:
8:00 A.M. – 5:00 P.M.
Monday – Friday
Finance Department
Department Functions / Responsibilities:
The Finance Department is responsible for all of the City of Decatur’s accounting functions. Other department duties include maintaining individual records for sales tax, business and insurance licenses, and the investment of the City’s non-operating funds.
Budget Process
The City maintains budgetary controls to ensure compliance with legal provisions in the annually appropriated budgets adopted by the City Council. Activities of the general fund and special revenue funds are included in the budget process. Project length financial plans are adopted for all capital project funds. The City Council also approves operating budgets for the Point Mallard Park and Landfill enterprise funds and the Cemetery permanent fund. The legal level of budgetary control is the department level. The Council reviews and approves changes at mid-year when a formal amendment to the original budget is adopted
The budget is a financial plan for a specific year that contains both the estimated revenues to be received during the year and the proposed expenditures to be incurred to achieve stated objectives. The City of Decatur’s fiscal year begins October 1st and ends September 30th. With the exception of project length budgets, all annual appropriations lapse at the end of the fiscal year.
The Mayor ensures that a budget is prepared for presentation to the council in ample time for consideration and adoption before October 1. Prior to the established date of submission of the proposed budget to the City Council, the Mayor, Chief Financial Officer, Finance Supervisor and department heads hold conferences to ensure that the proposed budget is balanced within total estimated income as required by state law.
The budget is not a static document. It is a dynamic plan, which requires continuous monitoring, and occasional revisions that reflect changing operational developments. In order to accommodate the changing needs for services and programs, the City Council from time to time makes amendments to the budget.