2008 CAFR - Laserfiche WebLink

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NOTE 1— SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (CONTINUED) O. Restricted Assets Restricted assets are cash and cash equivalents and the related interest receivable whose use is limited by legal requirements such as a bond indenture. Restricted assets are reported only in the city -wide financial statements. In the fund financial statements these assets have been reported as "cash and investments held by trustee" and the interest receivable is included within "accounts and interest receivable ". P. Budgets and Budgetary Accounting Each fall the City Council adopts a General Fund budget for the following fiscal year beginning January 1. The City has established budgetary control at the function level. Budget appropriations lapse at year -end. In addition, an annual budget is legally adopted for the Economic Development Authority and the Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HRA) each are non major special revenue funds. Budget amounts are presented on a modified accrual basis of accounting. The City Council budget revisions decreased General Fund appropriations by $97,989. This was a result of a decline in expected revenues from building activity within the City due to a downturn in the building economy. Encumbrance accounting is not used and there were no significant purchase commitments outstanding at year -end. The government's department heads may make transfers of appropriations within a function. Transfers of appropriations between functions require the approval of the council. All the appropriations for the Housing and Redevelopment Authority are approved by their governing board. The Economic Development Authority budget is recommended by their board and final approval comes from City Council. In the General Fund, total actual expenditures exceeded appropriations in the general government function by $18,453. In addition, capital outlay exceeded appropriations by $29,152. These over expenditures were funded by an increase in actual investment earnings. Q. Statement of Cash Flows For purposes of the Statement of Cash Flows, the City considers all highly liquid debt instruments with an original maturity from the time of purchase by the City of three months or less to be cash equivalents. The Proprietary Funds' portion in the city -wide cash and investment management pool is considered to be cash equivalent. R. Self - Insurance Plan and Risk Management The City is exposed to various risks of loss related to torts: theft of, damage to, and destruction of assets; errors and omissions; and natural disasters. The City participates in the League of Minnesota Cities Insurance Trust (LMCIT), a public entity risk pool for its general property and casualty, workers' compensation, and other miscellaneous insurance coverages. LMCIT operates as a common risk management and insurance program for a large number of cities in Minnesota. The City pays an annual premium to LMCIT for insurance coverage. The LMCIT agreement provides that the trust will be self - sustaining through member premiums and will reinsure through commercial companies for claims in excess of certain limits. The City has elected higher deductibles through LMCIT in order to keep premiums at a minimum. To supplement the commercial coverages, the City established the Self - Insurance Internal Service Fund. This fund is funded primarily through dividend paybacks from LMCIT. Expenditures from this fund consist solely of payments of those insurance related costs that are below the individual and/or -34-