FY 2012 Operating Budget and FY 2013-2017 Financial ... - Septa

Annual Budget Process
Budget Development
Budget development begins in December with preparation of a draft service projection for the
following fiscal year. This is a collaborative effort between the Operating Budget and Service
Planning Departments, and results in a detailed service projection and authority-wide expense
projection by mid-January.
The Operating Budget Department meets with personnel from each staff and operating
department to review budget requirements and potential issues for the following fiscal year.
Based on these meetings, the service projection may be revised and departmental expense
levels are set accordingly. Preliminary authorization letters and the budget database template
is distributed by the Operating Budget Department to all operating and staff departments in
February or March.
Operating and staff department personnel enter information into the Management Planning
and Control (MPC) operating budget database for submission to the Operating Budget
Department by mid-February. The Operating Budget Department reviews each budget
submission and recommends corrections or revisions, if necessary. The Budget Department
compiles this information and briefs the SEPTA Board.
Period for Public Comment
The Operating Budget Department publishes SEPTA’s Operating Budget Proposal on the
Authority’s Website and distributes it publicly in March, thus beginning a thirty-day period for
public comment. SEPTA’s Board Chairman appoints a hearing examiner to conduct public
hearings in each county that SEPTA serves. Public hearings are held in each county in mid-
April to solicit public comment on the proposed budget. SEPTA staff presents testimony
concerning the budget proposal and responds to questions from the public.
Adoption
The hearing examiner evaluates the SEPTA staff proposal and public comments and issues a
report to the Board in late April, which includes a recommendation on SEPTA’s Operating
Budget Proposal. The Board of Directors adopts a budget for the upcoming fiscal year at the
regular May meeting on the fourth Thursday of the month.
Budget Amendment
Any subsequent amendments to the budget are handled in the same manner as the annual
budget process. That is, budget amendments would be subject to the same three phases of
the annual budget process: budget development, period for public comment and budget
adoption.
SEPTA Fiscal Year 2012 Operating Budget 18