Agenda - Council - 06/13/2017 - Laserfiche WebLink

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ACCOUNTING AND AUDITING UPDATES GASB STATEMENT No. 73, ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL REPORTING FOR PENSIONS AND RELATED ASSETS THAT ARE NOT WITHIN THE SCOPE OF GASB STATEMENT 68, AND AMENDMENTS TO CERTAIN PROVISIONS OF GASB STATEMENTS 67 AND 68 This statement extends the approach to accounting and financial reporting established in GASB Statement No. 68 to all pensions, including those not administered through a trust. Governmental employers participating in such plans will be required to report the total of any unfunded pension liability related to the plan in their accrual basis financial statements, rather than the net pension liability. The requirements of this statement that address accounting and financial reporting by employers and governmental nonemployer contributing entities for pensions not within the scope of GASB Statement No. 68, are effective for financial statements for fiscal years beginning after June 15, 2016. This statement also clarified the application of certain provisions of GASB Statement Nos. 67 and 68 regarding 10-year schedules of required supplementary information (RSI) and other recognition issues pertaining to employers and nonemployer contributing entities effective for financial statements for fiscal years beginning after June 15, 2015. GASB STATEMENT No. 74, FINANCIAL REPORTING FOR POSTEMPLOYMENTBENEFITPLANS OTHER THAN PENSION PLANS This statement establishes new accounting and financial reporting requirements for other post -employment benefits (OPEB) plans, replacing GASB Statement Nos. 43 and 57. It also includes requirements for defined contribution OPEB plans that replace the requirements for those OPEB plans in GASB Statement Nos. 25, 43, and 50. This statement will improve financial reporting primarily through enhanced note disclosures and schedules of RSI that will be presented by OPEB plans administered through trusts meeting the specified criteria. The new information will enhance the decision -usefulness of the financial reports of those OPEB plans, their value for assessing accountability, and their transparency by providing information about measures of net OPEB liabilities and explanations of how and why those liabilities changed from year-to-year. The net OPEB liability information, including ratios, will offer an up-to-date indication of the extent to which the total OPEB liability is covered by the fiduciary net position of the OPEB plan. The comparability of the reported information for similar types of OPEB plans will be improved by the changes related to the attribution method used to determine the total OPEB liability. The contribution schedule will provide measures to evaluate decisions related to the assessment of contribution rates in comparison with actuarially determined rates, if such rates are determined. In addition, new information about rates of return on OPEB plan investments will inform financial report users about the effects of market conditions on the OPEB plan's assets over time and provide information for users to assess the relative success of the OPEB plan's investment strategy and the relative contribution that investment earnings provide to the OPEB plan's ability to pay benefits to plan members when they come due. This statement is effective for financial statements for fiscal years beginning after June 15, 2016. Earlier application is encouraged. -19-