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Authority (ED A) and the Ramsey Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HRA), these organizations are included as blended component units in these financial statements. The City provides a variety of municipal services. These include a full-time police department, a volunteer fire department, engineering services, street and park maintenance, building inspections, planning and zoning, public improvements, general administrative services, and public water and sewer utilities in the urban service areas. The City adopts an annual budget for the General Fund, EDA Special Revenue Fund, and HRA Special Revenue Fund. Legal level of control is at the function level. Department heads may transfer resources within a department as they see fit. Transfers between functions, however, need special approval from the City Council. LOCAL ECONOMY The City has an unemployment rate of 4.2% in comparison to the state and national average of 4.0%. Ramsey has an employed labor force of 14,046. Anoka County, in which Ramsey is located, has an employed labor force of 193,819. There are approximately 6,597 single-family homes and 1,451 multifamily units located within the City. In addition, there were 89 single-family homes and 78 multifamily dwellings constructed in 2007. The City has two major industrial parks with a combined capacity of 320 acres and 25 businesses. Currently both industrial parks are filled to capacity. The City's General Fund has five major categories of funding sources which accounted for 96% of the total revenue (including transfers) in 2007. Reliance on general property taxes has increased over the past three years and in 2007 r~presents over 62% of total revenues. Transfers amount to over 14% which is the second largest category of revenue in 2007. In prior years, intergovernmental revenue was the second largest category of revenue for the General Fund. In the past three years it has dropped to approximately 6% of total revenue. Intergovernmental revenue includes state aids, such as Local Government Aid (LGA), Market Value Homestead Credit (MVHC), Highway Maintenance Aid, Fire Relief Aid, Police Aid, and County grants. Due to severe budget deficits in the state of Minnesota, the City has not received LGA since fiscal year 2003. The LGA distribution formula has been revised and funding greatly reduced, with the City being one of the many developing cities seeing a total reduction of LGA. In prior years, the average amount of LOA received was over $300,000 annually. LONG-TERM FINANCIAL PLANNING As part ofthe City's strategic plan, the following long-term goals have been established: . Complete build-out of Ramsey Town Center's residential and commercial components. . Create and protect an interconnected system of athletic areas, parks, trails, and green spaces throughout the city. . Complete and implement the 2008 Comprehensive Plan Update. . Determine needs for future municipal facilities and acquire/preserve the land necessary to meet these needs. . Transportation: Continue to develop plans for an upgraded and integrated transportation and transit system that includes a Northstar Rail Stop in Ramsey. . Make progress towards attaining life cycle housing goals identified in adopted housing plan. -v-