Feed the reserve contribution into the budget

Once your reserve components reflect reality — the study imported, completed projects recorded, condition assessments entered — the required annual reserve contribution for the target year can flow straight into next year's operating budget. That closes the loop: the number the board approves is the number the reserve math actually calls for.

How it connects:
1. Set the same target budget year on the Reserves surface that you are drafting the budget for.
2. In Accounting, open Budgeting and use "Generate from prior year."
3. The draft includes the reality-adjusted required reserve contribution as a suggested reserve-contribution GL line.
4. Review the suggested line alongside every other budget line. Accept it as-is, adjust the amount, or remove it — it is a suggestion, not a locked value.

Why it works this way:
• The suggested figure is the reality-adjusted contribution, so it already reflects work you have completed and any shortened lives you have recorded — not the stale study.
• The board still owns the number. Nothing is committed until you approve the budget, and you can override the reserve line like any other before approving.

If you change reserve inputs after generating a draft (record another completed project, add an assessment), re-generate or update the reserve line so the budget reflects the latest figure before you approve it.