Diocese of El Paso Finance Office 499 St. Matthews St. El Paso, TX 79907 915-872-8404 Fax: 915-872-8415 Memo To: Pastors and Bookkeepers From: Leticia Q. Macias Date: April 28, 2015 Re: Fiscal Year 2015-16 Parish Budget It is now time to begin working on the budget for the fiscal year 2015-16. The complete budget packet is also available on the Diocese of El Paso website in PDF and can be accessed at http://www.elpasodiocese.org/financeparishresources. If you prefer to work on your budget using Microsoft Excel please send me a request to lmacias@elpasodiocese.org and I will email you the file or come by the office to pick up a CD. Our office can also provide you with an Excel file with the latest financial information for your parish to assist you with the budgeting process. You may contact me to request that information. The Manual of Policies and Procedures of the Parish Finances of the Roman Catholic Diocese of El Paso (II, A, 7) states that every parish should have a completed budget submitted to the finance office by July 31, 2015. In addition the manual states that the parish finance council must be involved in the budgeting process (VIII, C, A). Though our office should receive a copy of the completed and approved budget, please be aware that with the implementation of the new accounting software from ParishSoft ConnectNow Accounting you will now be responsible for entering your parish budget into the system. Below is information may be helpful in the preparation of your budget. Cost of Living Adjustment -- A cost of living adjustment of 1.7% for salaries will be presented for approval by the Diocese of El Paso Finance Council at the May 2015 meeting to be effective July 1, 2015. Clergy Salaries – The cost of living adjustment of 1.7% will also be applied to the salary portion of clergy compensation. The clergy salary for the 2015-16 fiscal year will be $917.66 per month ($11,011.92 annually). There will be no change to the social security allowance ($200 per month for those priests that participate in the social security system) or to the car allowance ($350 per month within El Paso County and $500 per month for West Texas (outside the El Paso County)). Health Insurance Premiums – The monthly premiums for health insurance have been approved for the 2015-16 fiscal year. For budgeting purposes you may use the proposed premium for clergy and religious of $829.00 per month and $730.00 per month for the employer share of the premium for lay employees. The employee’s share of the premium will be $38.00 for the Basic Laity plan and $99.00 for Laity plan. Property Insurance – An increase of about 2% is expected. Keep in mind that our office is available to provide additional information or assistance on this or any other fiscal matters. Please do not hesitate to call on us at (915)872-8404. l Page 2