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GENERAL FUND
<br />The City's General Fund accounts for the financial activity of the basic services provided to the
<br />community. The primary services included within this fund are the administration of the municipal
<br />operation, police and fire protection, building inspection, streets and highway maintenance, and parks and
<br />recreation. The graph below illustrates the change in the General Fund financial position over the last
<br />five years. We have also included a line representing annual revenues to reflect the change in the size of
<br />the General Fund operation over the same period.
<br />$16, 000,000
<br />$14, 000,000
<br />$12, 000,000
<br />$10, 000,000
<br />$ 8,000,000
<br />$6,000,000
<br />$4,000,000
<br />$2,000,000
<br />$—
<br />Fund Balance
<br />o Cash (Net)
<br />Revenue
<br />General Fund Financial Position
<br />Year Ended December 31,
<br />2018 2019 2020
<br />$8,490,127 $8,880,446 $10,090,053
<br />$8,422,544 $8,846,081 $10,098,653
<br />$11,856,968 $12,305,492 $15,101,548
<br />$13,613,351 $14,718,976
<br />The City's General Fund cash and investments balance at December 31, 2022 was $10,850,120, an
<br />increase of $301,387 from the previous year. Total fund balance at year-end was $11,095,052, an increase
<br />of $645,563 from the prior year.
<br />As the graph illustrates, the City has generally been able to maintain healthy cash and fund balance levels
<br />as the volume of financial activity has fluctuated. This is an important factor because a government, like
<br />any organization, requires a certain amount of equity to operate. A healthy financial position allows the
<br />City to avoid volatility in tax rates; helps minimize the impact of state funding changes; allows for the
<br />adequate and consistent funding of services, repairs, and unexpected costs; and is a factor in determining
<br />the City's bond rating and resulting interest costs.
<br />A trend that is typical to Minnesota local governments, especially the General Fund of cities, is the
<br />unusual cash flow experienced throughout the year. The City's General Fund cash disbursements are
<br />made fairly evenly during the year other than the impact of seasonal services, such as snowplowing, street
<br />maintenance, and park activities. Cash receipts of the General Fund are quite a different story. Taxes
<br />comprise about 81.3 percent of the fund's total annual revenue. Approximately half of these revenues are
<br />received by the City in July and the rest in December. Consequently, the City needs to have adequate
<br />cash reserves to finance its everyday operations between these payments.
<br />As of December 31, 2022, the City continued to meet the fund balance policy goal of the General Fund,
<br />which is to maintain an unrestricted amount equal to 50 percent of the following years adopted operating
<br />budget.
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