§ 181. Annual budget and levy of taxes. 1. The fiscal year of each\nfire district shall begin on the first day of January and end on the\nthirty-first day of December.\n For each fiscal year, the board of fire commissioners of each fire\ndistrict shall prepare and adopt an annual budget in accordance with\nthis section.\n 2. (a) On or before the twenty-first day prior to the public hearing\nrequired by subdivision three of this section, the board of fire\ncommissioners shall prepare and adopt a proposed budget for the ensuing\nfiscal year. Within the limitations specified in this article, the\nproposed budget shall contain detailed estimates in writing of the\namount of revenues to be received and the appropriations required for\nexpenditures to be made during such fiscal year for the purposes of such\nfire district.\n (b) On or before the last date provided by law for the adoption of the\nproposed budget, the board of fire commissioners shall prepare an\nestimate of the fund balance which shall be affixed to the proposed\nbudget as an appendix thereto. The estimate of fund balance shall\ninclude a breakdown of such fund balance estimated for encumbrances,\namounts estimated to be expended for the ensuing fiscal year, amounts\nreserved for stated purposes pursuant to law, including reserve funds\nestablished pursuant to the general municipal law, and the remaining\nunappropriated unreserved fund balance as that term is defined in\nsection one hundred three of this chapter, provided that the remaining\nestimated unappropriated unreserved fund balance for each fund shall not\nexceed a reasonable amount, consistent with prudent budgeting practices,\nnecessary to ensure the orderly operation of the fire district and the\ncontinued provision of services, taking into account factors including,\nbut not limited to, the size of the fund, cash flows, the certainty with\nwhich the amounts of revenues and expenditures can be estimated, and the\nfire district's experience in prior fiscal years. For those districts\nwhich employ the cash basis of accounting, fund balance means the cash\nsurplus estimated to be on hand at the close of the current fiscal year\nless claims payable therefrom and amounts reserved pursuant to law for\nstated purposes, including reserve funds established pursuant to the\ngeneral municipal law.\n (c) Upon adoption of the proposed budget by the board of fire\ncommissioners, the proposed budget shall be filed in the office of the\nfire district secretary and maintained as a public document available\nfor inspection and copying. The fire district secretary shall also\nreproduce a sufficient number of copies of the proposed budget for\ndistribution upon request to the public and at no cost to the public. In\naddition, if the fire district maintains an internet website, the fire\ndistrict secretary shall cause the proposed budget to be posted and\nmaintained on the fire district's website until the day after the public\nhearing on the proposed budget.\n 3. (a) The board of commissioners of each fire district shall hold a\npublic hearing during the third week of October to discuss the contents\nof the proposed budget. The hearing shall be conducted and scheduled in\na manner that maximizes participation. Notice of such public hearing\nshall be published at least once in the official newspaper, or if no\nofficial newspaper has been designated, in any newspaper having general\ncirculation in the district. At least five days shall elapse between the\ndate of the first publication of the notice and the date specified for\nthe hearing. The notice of hearing shall state the date, time and the\nplace where the public hearing will be held, the purpose thereof and\nthat a copy of the proposed budget is available at the office of the\ntown clerk or clerks and fire district secretary where it may be\ninspected by any interested person during office hours. In the case of a\nfire district that maintains an internet website, the
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