Agenda - Council Work Session - 06/25/2013

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This statement establishes standards for measuring and recognizing liabilities, deferred outflows of resources, deferred inflows of resources, and expense /expenditures. In addition, this statement details the recognition and disclosure requirements for employers with liabilities (payables) to a defined benefit pension plan and for employers whose employees are provided with defined contribution pensions. This statement also addresses circumstances in which a nonemployer entity has a legal requirement to make contributions directly to a pension plan. This statement is effective for financial statements for fiscal years beginning after June 15, 2014. Earlier application is encouraged. Included in this statement are major changes in how employers that participate in cost - sharing pension plans, such as TRA and PERA, account for pension benefit expenses and liabilities. In financial statements prepared using the economic resources measurement focus and accrual basis of accounting (government -wide and proprietary funds), a cost - sharing employer that does not have a special funding situation is required to recognize a liability for its proportionate share of the net pension liability of all employers with benefits provided through the pension plan. A cost - sharing employer is required to recognize pension expense and report deferred outflows of resources and deferred inflows of resources related to pensions for its proportionate share of collective pension expense and collective deferred outflows of resources and deferred inflows of resources related to pensions. In addition, the effects of (1) a change in the employer's proportion of the collective net pension liability and (2) differences during the measurement period between the employer's contributions and its proportionate share of the total of contributions from employers included in the collective net pension liability are required to be determined. These effects are required to be recognized in the employer's pension expense in a systematic and rational manner over a closed period equal to the average of the expected remaining service lives of all active and inactive employees that are provided with pensions through the pension plan. GASB STATEMENT NO. 69 — GOVERNMENT COMBINATIONS AND DISPOSALS OF GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS This statement provides accounting and financial reporting guidance, including disclosure requirements, for government combinations and disposals of government operations. Government combinations include mergers, acquisitions, and transfers of operations. Included within the scope of this statement are combinations of governmental entities or combinations of governmental entities, with nongovernmental entities (such as a nonprofit entity) as long as the new or continuing organization is a government. This statement does not apply to combinations in which a government acquires an organization that continues to exist as a separate entity, or acquires an equity interest in an organization that remains legally separate from the acquiring government. A disposal of operations occurs when a government either transfers or sells specific operations. The provisions of this statement are effective for financial statements for periods beginning after December 15, 2013. Earlier application is encouraged. PROPOSED CHANGES TO REQUIREMENTS FOR FEDERAL GRANTS The U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has issued for comment Proposed OMB Uniform Guidance: Cost Principles, Audit, and Administrative Requirements for Federal Awards, which proposes broad revisions to OMB Circular A -133 and other key grant reforms. The proposed guidance includes a number of significant changes to the federal Single Audit process, including; an increase in dollar threshold for requiring a Single Audit, changes to the process for determining major programs, a reduction in the percentage of expenditures required to be covered by a Single Audit, revised criteria for determining low -risk auditees, a reduction in the types of compliance requirements to be tested, and an increase in the threshold for reporting questioned costs. The proposed guidance would also consolidate OMB circulars and cost principles; and change certain federal requirements related to indirect costs, time and effort reporting, and grant administration.