2013-12-31 Year End Management Letter

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Financial Position and Results of Operations Our principal observations and recommendations are summarized on the following pages.These recommendations resulted from our observations made in connection with our audit of the City’s financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2013. General Fund The General fund is used to account for resources traditionally associated with government, which are not required legally or by sound principal management to be accounted for in another fund.The General fund balance increased $52,776from 2012. The fund balance of $1,258,596is59.4percent of the 2014 budgeted expenditures.The total General fund budget is $2,120,416for 2014.We recommend the fund balance be maintained at a level sufficient to fund operations until the major revenue sources are received in June.We feel a reserve of approximately 40 to 50 percent of planned expenditures and transfers out is adequate to meet working capital and small emergency needs.At the current level, the fund balance is above the minimum but City Council has acknowledged the amount. The City Council adopted a fund balance resolution and the City is in compliance with this resolution. Statement of Position The Office of the State Auditor (the OSA) has issued a relating to fund balance stating “a local government should identify fund balance separately between reserved and unreserved fund balance. The local government may assign and report some or all of the fund balance as designated and undesignated.” We recommend local governments adopt a formal policy on the level of unreserved fund balance that should be maintained in the General and special revenue funds. This helps address citizen concerns as to the use of fund balance and tax levels. The purposes and benefits of an adequate fund balanceare as follows: Expenditures are incurred somewhat evenly throughout the year. However, property tax and state aid revenues are not received until the second half of the year. An adequate fund balance will provide the cash flow required to finance the governmental fund expenditures. Expenditures not anticipated at the time the annual budget was adopted may need immediate City Council action.These would include capital outlay replacement, lawsuits and other items.An adequate fund balance will provide the financing needed for such expenditures. A strong fund balance will assist the City in obtaining, maintaining or improving its bond rating.The result will be better interest rates in future bond sales.