Montana Title 20. Education § 20-9-133. Adoption and expenditure limitations of final budget

(1) When the trustees determine and set the amount of the budget for each budgeted fund, they shall enter the amount in the portion of the budget form provided for the reporting of the final budget and the presiding officer and clerk shall sign the budget form. The resulting budget constitutes the final budget and the appropriations for the district for the current school fiscal year.

(2) Except as provided in subsection (3), the trustees and all officers and employees of the district are limited in making expenditures or incurring liabilities to the total amount of each fund's budget. Transfers from any appropriation item to another appropriation item within a fund's budget or transfers between different funds or between the final budget and a budget amendment may be made as provided by 20-9-208. Except as provided in subsection (3), money of the district may not be used to pay expenditures made, liabilities incurred, or warrants issued in excess of the final budget established for each budgeted fund.

(3) If a district incurs a legal bonded debt payment after the final debt service fund budget for the current fiscal year has been adopted and if payment on the debt is required for the current fiscal year, payment on the debt in the current school fiscal year is allowed if money is available.