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CITY OF GEM LAKE, MIN NESOTA <br />NOTES TO BASIC FINANCIAL STATEMENTS <br />DECEMBER 31, 2012 <br />NOTE1 SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (CONTINUED) <br />H. Property Tax Revenue Recognition (Continued) <br />Within the governmental. fund financial statements, the City recognizes property tax <br />revenue when it becomes both measurable and available to finance expenditures of the <br />current period. in practice, current and delinquent taxes and State credits received by <br />the City in July, December and the following January are recognized as revenue for the <br />current year: Taxes and credits not received at the year-end are classified as delinquent <br />and due from County taxes receivable. The portion of delinquent taxes not collected by <br />the City in January is fully offset by deferred revenue because it is not available to <br />finance. current expenditures.. Deferred revenue in governmental activities is. susceptible <br />to full accrual on the government -wide statements. <br />The City's property tax revenue includes payments from the Metropolitan Revenue <br />Distribution (Fiscal. Disparities Formula) per Minnesota Statute 473F. This statute <br />provides a. means of spreading a portion of the taxable valuation of commercial/industrial <br />real property to various taxing authorities within the defined metropolitan area. The <br />valuation "s.hared" is a portion of commerciallindustrial property valuation growth since <br />1971,. Property taxes paid to the City through this formula for 2012 totaled :$6,203. <br />Receipt of property taxes from this "fiscal disparities pool" does not increase or decrease <br />total tax. revenue. <br />Special Assessment Revenue Recognition <br />Special assessments are levied against benefited properties for the cost or a portion,of <br />the cost of special assessment improvement projects in accordance with state statutes. <br />These assessments are collectible. by the City over a term of years usually consistent <br />With the term of the related bond issue. Collection of annual installments (including <br />interest) is handled by the County Auditor in the same manner as property taxes. <br />Property owners are allowed to (and often do) prepay future installments without interest <br />or prepayment penalties. <br />Within the fund financial statements, the revenue from special. assessments is <br />recognized by the City when it becomes measurable. and. available to finance <br />expenditures of the current fiscal period.. In practice; current and delinquent special <br />assessments received. by the City are recognized as. revenue for the current year. <br />Special assessments. are collected by the County and remitted. by December 31 <br />(remitted to the City the following: January) and are also recognized as revenue for the <br />current year. All remaining delinquent, deferred and special deferred assessments <br />receivable. in governmental funding are completely offset by deferred revenues. Deferred <br />revenue in governmental activities is susceptible to full accrual on the government -wide <br />statements_ <br />(20) <br />