This page lists the Washington State statutory deadlines in calendar year 2018 for preparing a 2019 city or town budget, as well as examples of planning calendars adopted by cities and towns that go beyond the minimum statutory requirements.

It is part of MRSC's series on Budgeting in Washington State.

Annual Budget Deadlines

The annual budget deadlines are found in chapter 35A.33 RCW (code cities) and chapter 35.33 RCW (all other cities and towns except Seattle) and outlined below. Seattle has different requirements that are not discussed here.

The pre-budget items listed here are included as recommendations only and are not required by statute. The rest of the items are statutory deadlines only – cities and towns can take these steps earlier than the dates listed, and the statutes allow cities and towns to adopt different deadlines for some of these steps by ordinance or charter.

We recommend that each city and town develop a timeline that best meets its needs, assures compliance with the statutes, and provides sufficient time to prepare this vital financial plan.

Biennial Budget Deadlines

Cities and towns that have adopted a biennial (two-year) budget have the same statutory deadlines (see chapters 35.34 RCW and 35A.34 RCW), with the addition of a budget review and adjustment eight to 12 months into the first year. By law, the biennium must begin on January 1 of an odd-numbered year.

The next biennium period is 2019-2020, which means cities and towns using a biennial budget will adopt a new budget in calendar year 2018 with a mid-biennium review and adjustment sometime between September 1 and December 31, 2019.

For more information on biennial budgets, see our page on Biennial Budgeting.

Budget Calendar

Below is an overview of the budgeting process and statutory deadlines. For a detailed explanation of the budget requirements, as well as some helpful practice tips, see our page on Budget Preparation Procedures for Cities and Towns.

Budget Calendar for Outlook

You can now import our information on city/town budget procedures and deadlines directly into your Outlook calendar! Each calendar item includes:

• The statutory deadline for the current year
• A description of the required procedures, with links to the RCWs
• Helpful practice tips, links to our website, and other useful resources
• Automatic calendar reminders to help you prepare for each step in advance

Double-click on any calendar item to view this information. You can also customize the calendar by adding new items or modifying existing items.

Download the 2019 budget calendar for Outlook today! (.ics file, 154 kb)

Once you have downloaded the file, go to your downloads folder and open/double-click the file. If you have Outlook installed, the file should open in your Outlook calendar under "Other Calendars."

Examples of City/Town Budget Planning Calendars

Below are a few examples of budget preparation calendars adopted by cities or towns that go beyond the minimum statutory requirements. Please note that the exact dates and statutory deadlines listed may vary slightly from year to year due to normal calendar fluctuations.

Annual Budget Preparation Calendars

• Lynden 2017 Budget Calendar – Begins with review of six-year capital plan in spring.
• Ridgefield 2018 Budget Calendar – Includes useful pre-budget steps such as reviewing financial policies and updating indirect cost allocation plan.

Biennial Budget Preparation Calendars

• Anacortes 2017-2018 Mid-Biennium Budget Adjustment Calendar
• Federal Way 2017-2018 Mid-Biennium Budget Adjustment Calendar
• Kennewick 2017-2018 Budget Calendar – Initial biennial budget; includes helpful notes indicating which steps have required statutory deadlines.
• Kent 2017-2018 Budget Calendar – Initial biennial budget, beginning with internal service baseline meetings in January; does not include mid-biennium budget adjustment.
• Leavenworth 2017-2018 Budget Calendar – Includes initial 2017-2018 budget as well as mid-biennium adjustment. Also includes calendars for transportation benefit district (biennial) and park & recreation service area (annual) budgets.
• Lynnwood Resolution No. 2016-02 (2016) – Establishing budget calendar for 2017-2018 biennium, beginning with council retreat a year in advance. Does not include mid-biennium budget adjustment.
• Stanwood 2017-2018 Budget Calendar – Initial biennial budget; does not include mid-biennium budget adjustment.