Governmental Entities: Special Funds and Government-wide Financial Statements

1. © 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. McGraw-Hill/Irwin Governmental Entities:Special Funds andGovernment-wideFinancial Statements 18

2. Overview A government should establish those funds required by law and the specific operating and management needs of the government entity A general rule is that all activities should be accounted for in the general fund unless specifically required by law or the different measurement focus used for proprietary and fiduciary funds

3. Overview

4. Governmental Funds Worksheets Each of the five governmental funds will report two fund-based financial statements: The balance sheet The statement of revenues, expenditures, and changes in fund balance

7. Special Revenue Funds Special revenue funds account for the proceeds of specific revenue sources that are restricted for specified purposes Includes resources and expenditures for operations, such as public libraries, when a separate tax is levied for their support Accounting for special revenue funds is the same as for the general fund

8. Capital Projects Funds Capital projects funds account for financial resources that are specified for the acquisition or construction of major capital facilities or improvements that benefit the public A separate capital projects fund is created at the time the project is approved and ceases at its completion Uses the modified accrual basis of accounting

9. Capital Projects Funds No fixed assets or depreciation are recorded No long-term debt is recorded Typically do not have annual operating budgets A capital budget is prepared as a basis for selling bonds to finance a project, and the capital budget is the control mechanism for the length of the project The capital budget for the project may, or may not, be formally recorded in the accounts The fund records capital outlays as expenditures

10. Debt Service Funds Debt service funds account for the accumulation and use of resources for the payment of general long-term debt principal and interest General long-term debt obligations: Serial bonds Term bonds Special assessment bonds Notes and warrants Capital leases

11. Debt Service Funds The accounting and financial reporting for debt service funds are the same as for the general fund The modified accrual basis of accounting is used Only that portion of the long-term debt that has matured and is currently payable is recorded Interest payable on long-term debt is not accrued; interest is recognized as a liability only when it comes due and payable

12. Permanent Funds Permanent funds are established in those cases in which there is a donor restriction that the fund principal must be preserved but the income from these permanent funds is required to be used to benefit the government’s programs or its general citizenry The modified accrual basis of accounting is used in this fund and the financial statements for the permanent funds are the same as for all other governmental funds

13. Governmental Funds Financial Statements The required financial statements are (1) the governmental funds balance sheet and (2) the governmental statement of revenues, expenditures, and changes in fund balance The statements will be prepared for each individual governmental fund and these individual fund statements are the foundation for the financial statements prepared for the governmental entity

14. Governmental Funds Financial Statements The fund-based financial statements for the governmental entity’s annual report separately report only major governmental funds, not necessarily individually each of the five governmental funds GASB 34 specifies that the general fund is always a major fund Some of the other governmental funds may not be determined to be major funds, and these non-major funds are aggregated and reported in a single column as other governmental funds

15. Governmental Funds Financial Statements Both of the following criteria should be met to be classified as major : 10 percent criterion: Total assets, liabilities, revenues, or expenditures/expenses of that individual governmental or enterprise fund are at least 10 percent of the corresponding total for all funds of that category or type 5 percent criterion: Total assets, liabilities, revenues, or expenditures/expenses of the individual governmental fund or enterprise fund are at least 5 percent of the corresponding total for all governmental plus enterprise funds combined

16. Enterprise Funds Enterprise funds accounts for operations of governmental units that charge for services provided to the general public They have a measurement focus of all economic resources and use the accrual basis of accounting They report fixed assets, which are depreciated, and long-term debt, if issued, They focus on income determination and capital maintenance

17. Enterprise Funds The financial statements for proprietary funds are very similar to those for commercial entities: The statement of net assets (balance sheet), The statement of revenues, expenses, and changes in fund net assets (income statement) The statement of cash flows Budgeting in the proprietary funds also has the same role as in commercial entities

18. Enterprise Funds Financial statements for the proprietary funds If a governmental entity has more than one enterprise fund, each must be individually assessed by both the 10 percent criterion and the 5 percent criterion tests to determine whether it is a major fund

19. Enterprise Funds Statement of net assets Proprietary funds report their own fixed assets, investments, and long-term liabilities GASB 34 specifies that the net assets section be separated into three components: Invested in capital assets, net of related debt Restricted because of restrictions beyond the government’s control Unrestricted

20. Enterprise Funds Statement of revenues, expenses, and changes A separation of operating and nonoperating revenues and expenses is made to provide more information value regarding the operations of the proprietary funds

21. Enterprise Funds Statement of cash flows Because of the large number of capital asset acquisition and financing transactions, the GASB specified four sections: Cash flows from operating activities Cash flows from noncapital financing activities Cash flows from capital and related financing activities Cash flows from investing activities

22. Internal Service Funds Internal service funds account for the financing of goods or services provided by one department or agency to other departments or agencies on a cost-reimbursement basis These services are not available to the general public, making it different from the enterprise fund Accounting and financial reporting for internal service funds are the same as for enterprise funds or for commercial entities

23. Internal Service Funds The accrual basis is used to measure revenue and expenses The balance sheet may include fixed assets, which are depreciated, and long-term debt, if issued The statement of revenue, expenses, and changes in fund net assets reports the income for the period The statement of cash flows is also required

24. Trust Funds Trust funds are a fiduciary fund type that accounts for resources held by a government unit in a trustee capacity The governmental unit acts as a fiduciary for monies or properties held on behalf of individuals, employees, or other governmental agencies

25. Trust Funds The accrual basis of accounting is used The financial statements required are the statement of fiduciary net assets, and the statement of changes in fiduciary net assets The statement of fiduciary net assets includes all trusts and agency funds The statement of changes in fiduciary net assets includes only the trust funds because agency funds do not have a net asset balance

26. Trust Funds Private-purpose trust funds account for trust agreements for which the principal and/or income benefits specific individuals, private organizations, or other governments

27. Agency Funds Agency funds are a fiduciary fund type that accounts for resources held by a governmental unit as a custodial agent for individuals, private organizations, other funds, or other governmental units Uses the accrual basis of accounting Because these funds are custodial in nature, assets always equal liabilities and there is no fund equity The financial statement for agency funds is the statement of fiduciary net assets

28. The Government Reporting Model GASB 34 specifies the reporting model What organizations comprise the reporting entity? The primary government A component unit for which the primary government is financially accountable Any organization that has a significant relationship with the primary government

29. The Government Reporting Model What constitutes financial accountability? Financial accountability is evidenced when the primary government appoints a majority of the organization’s governing board Financial accountability may also exist if the organization has a separately elected or appointed board but fiscally depends on the primary government for the financial resources required to operate

30. The Government Reporting Model What other organizations should be included in the reporting entity? GASB 14 specifies a third category of organizations to be evaluated to determine if they are part of the reporting entity with the primary government These are legally separate, tax-exempt entities for which the primary government is not financially accountable

31. The Government Reporting Model How should the financial results of the component units be reported? A choice between two methods: Discrete presentation in a separate column of the primary government’s financial statements Blended presentation by combining the organization’s results into the primary government’s financial results

32. The Government Reporting Model Government financial reports The annual report of a governmental entity is termed the comprehensive annual financial report (CAFR)

34. The Government Reporting Model Government-wide financial statements The government-wide financial statements include: The statement of net assets The statement of activities GASB 34 requires that government-wide financial statements be prepared on the economic resources measurement focus with the accrual basis of accounting

37. The Government Reporting Model Reconciliation schedules Required to reconcile the net change in the total amounts reported on the governmental funds statements with the amounts reported on the government-wide statements Reconciliation schedule for Statement of Net Assets Reconciliation schedule for Statement of Activities Budgetary comparison schedule This should be presented as required supplementary information for the general fund and for each special revenue fund that has a legally adopted annual budget

38. The Government Reporting Model Management’s Discussion and Analysis MD&A should be included in the required supplementary information of the government-wide financial statements to provide an analytical overview of the government’s financial and operating activities Notes to the government-wide financial statements GASB 34 specified a number of required note disclosures

39. The Government Reporting Model Interim reporting: Governmental entities generally are not required to publish interim reports, although many prepare monthly or quarterly reports Internal management control instrument Auditing governmental entities Most entities are audited annually Different from the audit of a commercial entity Single Audit Act of 1984

40. Additional Considerations Special-purpose governmental entities Financial reporting for pensions and OPEB plans Employer accounting for pensions and OPEB plan benefits Accounting for termination benefits