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The City has adopted a fund balance policy that calls for maintaining an unassigned amount equal to <br />50.0 percent of the following years adopted operating budget plus prior year encumbrances (if any). The <br />following graph presents this ratio for the last five years compared to this policy: <br />80% <br />70% <br />60% <br />50% <br />40% <br />30% <br />20% <br />Fund Balance as a Percentage of Expenditures <br />Year Ended December 31, <br />111 <br />2021 <br />2022 <br />2023 <br />2024 <br />2025 <br />t Fund Balance Policy <br />Maximum <br />50.0% <br />50.0% <br />50.0% <br />50.0% <br />50.0% <br />— M— Unassigned Fund Balance <br />50.0% <br />50.0% <br />50.0% <br />50.0% <br />50.0% <br />As the graph illustrates, the City has met the year-end fund balance policy goal as of December 31, 2025. <br />A government, like any organization, requires a certain amount of equity to operate. A healthy financial <br />position allows the City to avoid volatility in tax rates; helps minimize the impact of state funding <br />changes; allows for the adequate and consistent funding of services, repairs, and unexpected costs; and is <br />a factor in determining 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 />spread relatively evenly throughout the year, other than the impact of seasonal services such as <br />snowplowing, street maintenance, and recreation activities. Cash receipts of the General Fund are quite a <br />different story. Property taxes comprise about 79.9 percent of the fund's total annual revenue. <br />Approximately half of the City's annual property tax levy is collected and remitted to the City by the end <br />of June and the rest by December. Consequently, cities depend on the resources this fund balance <br />represents to provide adequate cash reserves to finance their everyday operations between these <br />collections. <br />-11- <br />