Five-Year Fiscal Plan

Overview

The City of Webster Groves launched a new five-year fiscal plan as a forecasting tool in January of 2022. The tool has been updated for the FY2023 adopted budget and the following information shows the changes in the forecast as budgeting decisions are made. At this time the tool only applies to the General Fund of the City. This tool provides policy-makers with an understanding of the impact of decisions in an immediate budget year on the future spending of the City. It also provides for a retroactive look at actual revenue collections and spending growth to inform the future forecast of the City. 

The Five-Year Plan is built on using the average growth rate from Fiscal Years 2018 to 2022. Those growth rates for both revenue and expenditures are available below in separate files.

The Five-Year Plan is subject to refinement and revision by the City Finance Department as improved estimates and actual collection/expenditure levels are gathered. Further modification for remaining funds of the City will be included in the future.

Chart showing the five year plan of expenditures and revenues following adoption of the FY23 budget

General Fund Structural Deficit

The City of Webster Groves currently operates with a structural deficit in the General Fund. A structural deficit exists where expenditures are growing at a rate exceeding revenue growth. You can see the rate of growth for expenditures and revenues in the table to the right. The growth of the difference between revenues and expenditures is not sustainable. The Five-Year Plan - Structural Deficit Indicator below shows the need for cost reductions and/or revenue increases to balance the budget. The Indicator chart shows the five-year estimates in solid color lines. The dashed lines are the estimates from the last iteration in January 2022. They are included to demonstrate the improvement in the deficit since then and the work yet to be done.  

Average Rate of Growth For 5-year Plan, FY18-22

Plan Version Expenditures Revenue
Adopted FY23 Budget 3.5705% 1.1059%
Proposed FY 23 Budget 3.5705% 1.2127%
January 2022 4.2861% 1.1059%
FY23 Adopted 5 Year Forecast Visual

General Fund Five Year Plan Documents

  1. 5-Year Plan - FY23 Budget Adopted w Deficit Reduction
  2. Expense Trends- FY23 Budget Adopted w Deficit Reduction
  3. Revenue Trends - FY23 Budget Adopted w Deficit Reduction

City Council Presentations


For More Information, contact:

Eric Peterson
Assistant City Manager/Director of Finance & Administration