Parks and Sidewalks

Artist's rendition of $1,377,000.00 Below are two brief descriptions of Council Bill 2008-079. The first one is from the city and the second one is from http://lifeofjason.com/2008/03/24/springfield-city-council-live-march-24-2008/
10. COUNCIL BILL 2008-079. (Carlson)
Amending the 2007-2008 Parks Department Budget for the City of Springfield, Missouri, in the amount of $1,377,000.00, appropriated from the ¼-Cent Sales Tax Fund for capital projects and development. (No members of the public spoke.)

7:25pm…Council Bill 2008-079. A special ordinance amending the 2007-2008 Parks Department Budget for the City of Springfield, Missouri, in the amount of $1,377,000.00, appropriated from the ¼ Cent Sales Tax Fund for capital projects and development. City Manager Cumley said this money arrived after the budget for the year was received.

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I don't understand this action. If the money arrived AFTER the budget was received, was the money allocated in the budget? Were we spending money before we got it? Or was this just a bookkeeping adjustment?

I received this reply from the City about the sidewalk issue raised in a post earlier:

I just wanted to comment on your post regarding the sidewalk improvements. I saw that the signs had the Neighborhood Assessment logo, so wanted to look into it. The sidewalk improvements are listed as the number one priority from the Fassnight Neighborhood Assessment Workshop and the Portland Elementary PTA.
During the workshops, the neighborhood participants are asked to identify their top priorities. The City tries to address up to four of those top priorities, depending on the funding required, etc. Sidewalk improvements are covered in the 1/4-cent sales tax for capital improvements. So like other areas we've discussed, the funding can't be shifted to the P/F pension fund. It could be shifted to sidewalks elsewhere, but it was the top priority of this assessment process. The assessment workshop was in late 2004 and it's taken this long for Fassnight's turn to come up for the sidewalk improvements. I guess my main points are that this is an example of the City trying to be responsive to the democratic process of the workshops where residents identify and reach consensus on what's best for their own neighborhoods and also that it's not out of the 1 percent general sales tax that COULD be shifted to P/F pension.
Louise Whall
Director of Public Information
City of Springfield, Missouri
(copied with permission of the sender)