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Budget Development

Welcome to the heart of community empowerment! Your voice matters, and so does your perspective. We invite you to actively participate in shaping the city's future through the Fiscal Year 2025 Budget Process.

The budget is more than just numbers' it's a blueprint for our community's growth and well-being. Your input helps prioritize essential services, infrastructure projects, and community programs. By engaging in the budget process, you directly influence the decisions that impact our daily lives.

Budget Listening Sessions

In February and March, the City of Charlotte Strategy & Budget Department hosted four budget listening sessions to receive real-time feedback from residents on the city's budget process. Each listening session allowed attendees to hear more about the budgeting process, ask questions, provide feedback, and engage in meaningful discussions in real time. We sincerely appreciate all who were able to attend and participate. If you were unable to attend, you can access links for the virtual listening sessions in the video library below.

Overview of the Budget Process

The city’s annual budget is based on a July 1 – June 30 fiscal year and is guided by the following five City Council adopted Strategic Priorities.

Each Strategic Priority contains policy initiatives driven by the needs of the community and the organization. The budget process is used to assess and allocate resources to achieve optimal service delivery and advance progress in achievement of the Strategic Priorities. The operating and capital budgets are developed in two phases:

Phase 1 (January – April)

Budget policy development, which is composed of the following:

City Council engagement regarding policy direction.
Department services review.
Staff engagement on performance management activities.

Phase 2 (May – June)

Budget deliberations and adoption, which are composed of the following:

A presentation of the City Manager's Proposed Budget to the Mayor and City Council.
Community engagement and feedback through the Public Hearing process.
City Council adoption of the budget by June 30.

How to Get Involved

Take the Fiscal Year 2025 City of Charlotte Budget Survey.
Attend a Budget Listening Session in either February or March.
Use the Balancing Act simulation tool to provide feedback on your budget priorities - February 1 through March 31, 2024.
Sign up to speak at the Budget Public Hearing to be held on Monday, May 13, 2024.
Watch the Budget, Governance and Intergovernmental Relations Committee meetings and Council meetings online.
Submit an e-mail to StrategyandBudget@charlottenc.gov.
Public hearing date Spring 2024.