The Committee of the Whole received the July monthly financial statement for filing on Sept. 16 and did not hold substantive discussion on the item. Director Gold joined the meeting and said there was no new material to bring forward at this session and that staff will provide the August report to council members in advance of the Oct. 7 meeting.

Why it matters: Staff said trend analysis of late‑year numbers will inform the mid‑biennium budget modification. Director Gold urged council members to send questions in advance so staff can prepare answers rather than receiving them immediately before or during the meeting.

Next steps: Staff will circulate the August financial report before the October meetings and present the August report during the full council meeting; any changes relevant to the mid‑biennium budget modification will be included in the October biennial budget discussion.

Quote: "As the numbers get later in the year, they get more important for our trend analysis to see where we're going and what we think we should do with the budget," Director Gold said.