Portsmouth Auditor Trent Williams has set up the schedule for the eventual passage of a resolution authorizing the city’s tax budget for 2017. In a council letter, Williams requests the city council to authorize the preparation of legislation in the form of a resolution to approve the annual tax budget and hold a public hearing for that budget.

Williams said July 15, 2016 is the deadline for city council to adopt its tax budget and July 20, 2016 is the deadline for the city to file its tax budget with the county auditor for the County Budget Commission.

Since it is mandatory to hold a public hearing to allow citizens an opportunity to present oral and/or written comments regarding the budget, Williams has recommended June 27, 2016 as the date for the public hearing on the proposed tax budget.

Before that occurs, Williams has recommended June 13 for preparing a city council letter at the conference agenda requesting a resolution for the tax budget and for the public hearing. The public notice for the public hearing is to be published on June 15.

On June 27, 2016 there will be a public hearing and a reading and adoption of the resolution, and thus, the tax budget. On June 28, 2016 the city clerk will file and approved tax budget and adopted resolution with the county auditor.