2021 Birmingham budget
The 2020-2021 Birmingham budget includes the operating budget for the City of Birmingham for the fiscal year July 1, 2019–June 30, 2020 as well as a capital projects budget.
Mayor Randall Woodfin proposed to the Birmingham City Council that it plan to continue operating under the 2020 Birmingham budget for a few months so that his office could better understand the fiscal impacts of the 2020 Coronavirus pandemic and make preparations for a significant reduction for the next year. He proposed submitting a proposal on August 20 with the aim of passing a budget before October 1. The delay would also potentially better allow for public hearings to be conducted in a safe manner.
In mid-June 2020, finance director Lester Smith suggested that the anticipated loss of revenues for FY 2021 would be around $73 million. Dipping into the city's $75 million "rainy day fund" would help offset those losses, but Woodfin expressed that he preferred to address most of the shortage with spending cuts distributed across all city departments.
References
- Sims, Bob (May 19, 2020) "Pandemic’s pinch puts off Birmingham budget." The Birmingham News
- Prickett, Sam (June 16, 2020) "City of Birmingham Facing ‘Economic Crisis’ Over Falling Revenue From Pandemic" BirminghamWatch