Riverside Municipal Code Art. XI Fiscal Administration

The fiscal year of the City government shall be established by ordinance.

At least thirty-five calendar days prior to the beginning of each fiscal year, the City Manager shall provide to the City Council in writing a proposed budget containing estimates of revenues and expenditures for each City department, office, agency, or fund, as appropriate. After reviewing the same, or at an earlier time if so desired, the City Council shall determine the time for the holding of a public hearing thereon and shall cause to be published a notice thereof not less than twenty days prior to said hearing, by at least one insertion in a newspaper of general circulation within the City.

Copies of the proposed budget shall be available for inspection by the public in the office of the City Clerk and on the City's accessible website at least twenty days prior to said hearing.

(Effective 10/23/2012)

At the time so advertised or at any time to which such public hearing shall from time to time be adjourned, the City Council shall hold a public hearing on the proposed budget, at which interested persons desiring to be heard shall be given such opportunity.

After the conclusion of the public hearing, the City Council shall further consider the proposed budget and make any revisions thereof that it may deem advisable and on or before the day preceding the start of the fiscal year, it shall adopt the budget.

A copy of the adopted budget shall be placed, and shall remain on file, in the office of the City Clerk and copies shall be placed in all the public libraries in the City where they shall be available for public inspection, and a copy shall be placed on the City's accessible website. The budget shall be reproduced and copies made available for the use of departments, offices and agencies of the City.

(Effective 10/23/2012 and 12/27/1995)

From the effective date of the budget, the several amounts stated therein as proposed expenditures shall be and become appropriated to the several departments, offices, agencies, and funds for the respective objects and purposes therein named. All appropriations shall lapse at the end of the fiscal year to the extent that they shall not have been expended or lawfully encumbered, except for appropriations for capital projects which shall continue to the completion of the capital projects unless a different rule has been established by action of the City Council.

At any meeting after the adoption of the budget, the City Council may amend or supplement the budget by motion adopted by the affirmative votes of at least five members so as to authorize the transfer of unused balances appropriated to one department or fund to another department or fund, or to appropriate available funds not yet included in the budget.

(Effective 10/23/2012 and 12/27/1995)

Under the control and direction of the City Manager there shall be established a centralized purchasing system for all City departments and agencies, which system shall be consistent with all other provisions of this Charter.

The City Council shall not levy a property tax, for municipal purposes, in excess of one dollar annually on each one hundred dollars of the assessed value of taxable property in the City, except as otherwise provided in this section, unless authorized by the affirmative votes of two-thirds of the electors voting on a proposition to increase such levy at any election at which the question of such additional levy for municipal purposes is submitted to the electors. The number of years that such additional levy is to be made shall be specified in such proposition.

(Effective 10/23/2012)

The procedure for the assessment, levy and collection of taxes upon property, taxable for municipal purposes, may be prescribed by ordinance of the City Council.

(a) The City shall not incur an indebtedness evidenced by general obligation bonds which shall in the aggregate exceed the sum of fifteen percent of the total assessed valuation, for purposes of City taxation, of all the real and personal property within the City.

(b) No bonded indebtedness which shall constitute a general obligation of the City may be created unless authorized by the affirmative votes of two-thirds of the electors voting on such proposition at any election at which the question is submitted to the electors and unless in full compliance with the provisions of the State Constitution and of this Charter.

(c) The City Council by procedural ordinance or pursuant to State law, after a public hearing, notice of which has been given by publication at least fifteen days prior to such hearing, may issue revenue bonds, notes or other evidences of indebtedness without an election for any City purpose or purposes, and, any other provisions of this Charter notwithstanding, may make such covenants and exercise such powers as are deemed necessary in connection with the issuance and sale of such revenue bonds, notes or other evidences of indebtedness.

Every project for the construction and/or improvement of public buildings, works, streets, drains, sewers, utilities, parks or playgrounds, and every purchase of supplies or materials for any such project, when the total expenditures required for the same exceed $50,000 shall be let by the City Council or by the Board of Public Utilities pursuant to Section 1202(b), by contract to the lowest responsible bidder after notice by publication in a newspaper of general circulation within the City by one or more insertions, the first of which shall be at least ten days before the time for opening bids. Projects for the maintenance or repair of streets, drains or sewers are excepted from the requirements of this section if the City Council determines that such work can be performed more economically by a City department than by contracting for the doing of such work.

All bids shall be accompanied by either a certified or cashier's check, or a bidder's bond executed by a corporate surety authorized to engage in such business in California, made payable to the City, or such other form of bidder's security as the City Council establishes by ordinance. Such security shall be in an amount not less than that specified in the notice inviting bids or in an amount not less than ten percent of the aggregate amount of the bid. If the successful bidder neglects or refuses to enter into the contract, within the time specified in the notice inviting bids or in the specifications referred to therein, the amount of the bidder's security shall be declared forfeited to the City and shall be collected and paid into its general fund, and all bonds so forfeited shall be prosecuted and the amount thereof collected and paid into such fund.

The City Council or Board of Public Utilities pursuant to Section 1202(b) may reject any and all bids presented and may readvertise in its discretion.

The City Council, without advertising for bids, or after rejecting bids, or if no bids are received, may declare and determine that, in its opinion, based on estimates approved by the City Manager, the work in question may be performed better or more economically by the City with its own employees or the supplies or materials may be purchased more economically on the open market, and after the adoption of a resolution to that effect by at least five affirmative votes of the City Council may proceed to have said work done or said supplies or materials purchased in the manner stated, without further observance of the provisions of this section. Such contracts likewise may be let without advertising for bids if such work or supplies or materials shall be deemed by the City Council to be of urgent necessity for the preservation of life, health or property, and shall be authorized by resolution passed by at least five affirmative votes of the City Council and containing a declaration of the facts constituting such urgency.

Projects for the construction and/or improvement of any public utility operated by the City or for the purchase of supplies or equipment for any such utility may be excepted from the requirements of this section, provided the City Council so determines by at least five affirmative votes.

(Effective 1/18/2005 and 1/6/2003)

Adequate cash shall be maintained to meet lawful demands of the City. Transfers and loans may be made by the City Council from one fund to another as may be required.

(Effective 1/18/2005 and 12/27/1995)

(a) Funds for capital projects are hereby created. Capital projects initiated by the City Council which only require approval by the City Council are provided for in subsection (b). Capital projects initiated by the City Council which also require approval by the voters are provided for in subsection (c).

(b) A City Council approved capital project fund shall remain for the established purpose and the appropriations therein shall carry over to the completion of each project, as set forth in Section 1104. When a capital project has been completed, the City Council may transfer any unexpended or unencumbered budget to any account similarly restricted.

To the extent permitted by law, the City Council may levy and collect taxes for capital projects and may include in the annual tax levy a levy for such purposes in which event it must apportion and appropriate to any such account or accounts the moneys derived from such levy. It may not, in making such levy, exceed the maximum tax rate provided for in this Charter, unless authorized by the affirmative votes of two-thirds of the electors voting on the proposition at any election at which such question is submitted.

(c) An account for a voter approved capital project shall remain inviolate for the purpose for which it was created unless the use of such funds for other capital project purposes was authorized by the electors voting on such proposition at the general or special election at which such proposition was submitted. The majority or super-majority for passage of a voter approved capital project will depend on the enabling legislation under which it is proposed. Notwithstanding the above, the proposition approving a capital project may be amended as provided in the proposition or the enabling legislation.

(Effective 10/23/2012; 1/18/2005; 12/27/1995)

Warrants on the City Treasurer which are not paid for lack of funds shall be registered. All registered warrants shall be paid in the order of their registration when funds therefor are available and shall bear interest from the date of registration at such rate as shall be fixed by the City Council by resolution.

(Effective 12/27/1995)

The City Council shall employ, at the beginning of each fiscal year, a qualified public accountant who shall, at such time or times as may be specified by the City Council, and at such times as such accountant shall determine, examine the books, records, inventories and reports of all officers and employees who receive, handle or disburse public funds and of such other officers, employees or departments as the City Council may direct. As soon as practicable after the end of the fiscal year, a final audit and report shall be submitted by such accountant to the City Council, with copies to be placed on file in the Office of the City Clerk and on the City's accessible website where they shall be available for inspection by the general public. At least every five years, the City Council shall employ a qualified public accountant different from the qualified public accountant who submitted the immediately preceding year's audit report.

(Effective 10/23/2012 and 1/18/2005)

Notwithstanding any provision to the contrary in the California Public Contracts Code, in Charter Section 1109, or any other law or regulation of the City of Riverside, the use of design-build procurement by competitive negotiation is authorized. The City Council shall establish by ordinance regulations for the award, use and evaluation of such design-build contracts, in which the design and construction of public works project are procured from a single entity.

(Effective 1/18/2005)