(a) The Chief Administrative Officer shall annually, not later than January 1, distribute budget request forms to the County Council and for each office, department, board, or agency which is receiving or seeking to receive an appropriation from the County Council payable from any operating fund of the County.

(b) County Council and the heads of all offices, departments, boards or agencies shall enter upon the budget request forms requests for appropriations for the ensuing year and such supporting information as the Chief Administrative Officer shall have specified. The Chief Administrative Officer shall establish deadlines for the presentation of completed forms by such time and in such manner as necessary for the timely preparation and presentation of the annual operating budget.

(c) The Chief Administrative Officer shall prepare a preliminary budget for the consideration of the County Executive. The preliminary budget shall include all budget requests, the recommendations of the Chief Administrative Officer with respect to each request, an estimate of the receipts from each source of revenue, and a statement of the total estimated income and the total recommended expenditures for each operating fund.

(d) The County Executive shall review the preliminary budget and may hold hearings thereupon at which the head of all offices, departments or boards may be given an opportunity to be heard with respect to their requests. The Chief Administrative Officer shall thereupon prepare the operating budget as directed by the County Executive. The operating budget shall be presented to the County Council by the County Executive, together with a budget message outlining the County Executive’s reasons for the requested appropriations, and shall be accompanied by proposed revenue and operating budget ordinances to give effect to the budget as presented. If the estimated revenue from existing sources is deemed by the County Executive to be insufficient to balance the budget, the County Executive shall recommend revenues sufficient to achieve a balanced budget.

(e) The proposed ordinance for the operating budget shall provide appropriations in a lump sum under the following classes for each office, department, or board to which appropriations are made:

(1) Personal services of officers and employees;

(2) Contractual services;

(3) Training;

(4) Communications and utilities;

(5) Materials and supplies;

(6) Equipment;

(7) Grants and fixed charges;

(8) Debt services;

(9) Such other general classes as the County Executive or the County Council may annually establish.

(f) The operating budget and the proposed revenue and operating budget ordinances shall be submitted to the County Council not later than April 1. Sufficient copies of the operating budget shall be supplied by the County Executive to the Clerk of the County Council for distribution to members of the County Council and to interested citizens.

9 Del. C. 1953, § 1132; 55 Del. Laws, c. 85, § 1; 70 Del. Laws, c. 186, § 1; 71 Del. Laws, c. 401, §§ 15, 25-27.