1. (1) The expenditures as classified and itemized in the final budget shall constitute the city's or town's appropriations for the ensuing fiscal biennium. Unless otherwise ordered by a court of competent jurisdiction, and subject to further limitations imposed by ordinance of the city or town, the expenditure of city or town funds or the incurring of current liabilities on behalf of the city or town shall be limited to the following:

   1. (a) The total amount appropriated for each fund in the budget for the current fiscal biennium, without regard to the individual items contained therein, except that this limitation does not apply to wage adjustments authorized by RCW 35.34.180;
   2. (b) The unexpended appropriation balances of a preceding budget which may be carried forward from prior fiscal periods pursuant to RCW 35.34.270;
   3. (c) Funds received from the sale of bonds or warrants which have been duly authorized according to law;
   4. (d) Funds received in excess of estimated revenues during the current fiscal biennium, when authorized by an ordinance amending the original budget; and
   5. (e) Expenditures authorized by budget modification as provided by RCW 35.34.130 and those required for emergencies, as authorized by RCW 35.34.140 and 35.34.150.
2. (2) Transfers between individual appropriations within any one fund may be made during the current fiscal biennium by order of the city's or town's chief administrative officer subject to such regulations, if any, as may be imposed by the city or town legislative body. Notwithstanding the provisions of RCW 43.09.210 or of any statute to the contrary, transfers, as authorized in this section, may be made within the same fund regardless of the various offices, departments, or divisions of the city or town which may be affected.
3. (3) The city or town legislative body, upon a finding that it is to the best interests of the city or town to decrease, revoke, or recall all or any portion of the total appropriations provided for any one fund, may, by ordinance, approved by the vote of one more than the majority of all members thereof, stating the facts and findings for doing so, decrease, revoke, or recall all or any portion of an unexpended fund balance, and by said ordinance, or a subsequent ordinance adopted by a like majority, the moneys thus released may be reappropriated for another purpose or purposes, without limitation to department, division, or fund, unless the use of such moneys is otherwise restricted by law, charter, or ordinance.

[ 1985 c 175 s 23.]