                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA

TIME FOR PREPARATION AND APPROVAL OF BUDGET; CONTENTS (§ 15.2-2503)

All officers and heads of departments, offices, divisions, boards, commissions,
and agencies of every locality shall, on or before the first day of April of
each year, prepare and submit to the governing body an estimate of the amount of
money needed during the ensuing fiscal year for his department, office,
division, board, commission or agency. If such person does not submit an
estimate in accordance with this section, the clerk of the governing body or
other designated person or persons shall prepare and submit an estimate for that
department, office, division, board, commission or agency.

The governing body shall prepare and approve a budget for informative and fiscal
planning purposes only, containing a complete itemized and classified plan of
all contemplated expenditures and all estimated revenues and borrowings for the
locality for the ensuing fiscal year. The itemized contemplated expenditures
shall include any discretionary funds to be designated by individual members of
the governing body and the specific uses and funding allocation planned for
those funds by the individual member; however, notwithstanding any provision of
law to the contrary, general or special, an amendment to a locality&#8217;s
budget that changes the uses or allocation or both of such discretionary funds
may be adopted by the governing body of the locality. The governing body shall
approve the budget and fix a tax rate for the budget year no later than the date
on which the fiscal year begins. The governing body shall annually publish the
approved budget on the locality&#8217;s website, if any, or shall otherwise make
the approved budget available in hard copy as needed to citizens for inspection.

HISTORY: Code 1950, § 15-575; 1959, Ex. Sess., c. 69; 1962, c. 623, §
15.1-160; 1976, c. 762; 1978, c. 551; 1997, c. 587; 2008, c. 353; 2013, c. 747.