Full Text
CITY OF MARYSVILLE 2015-2016 BIENNIAL BUDGET GLOSSARY 10-1 BUDGET GLOSSARY Accountability (Accountable): The state of being obliged to explain one’s actions, to justify what one does. Accountability requires governments to answer to the citizenry to justify the raising of public resources and the purposes for which they are used. Accounting Period: A period at the end of which and for which financial statements are prepared. Accounting System: The total set of records and procedures used to record, classify, and report information on the financial status and operations of an entity. Accrual Basis: The basis of accounting under which transactions are recognized when they occur, regardless of the timing of related cash receipts and disbursements. Actual: Monies which have already been used or received as opposed to budgeted monies which are estimates of possible funds to be spent or received. Actuarial Study: A statistical analysis of the future costs associated with pension programs, along with a recommended annual program to meet these costs. Appropriation: A legal authorization granted by the City Council to make expenditures and to incur obligations for a specific purpose or program. Usually granted for a one-year period. Appropriation Ordinance: The official enactment by the City Council giving the legal authority for City officials to obligate and expend resources. Arbitrage: The additional investment earnings a municipality receives by borrowing (issuing bonds) at tax exempt rates and investing the proceeds at higher yielding taxable rates. The difference is the arbitrage amount which must be paid to the IRS. Assessed Valuation: The estimated value placed upon real or personal property as the basis for levying property taxes. Audit: An examination to determine the accuracy and validity of records and reports by an agency whose duty it is to make sure the City conforms with established procedures and policies. BARS: Stands for Budgeting, Accounting, Reporting System. The manual the State of Washington requires governmental entities counties and cities) to use. Base Budget: The ongoing cost to maintain the current level of service. Inflation is included in the budget without increasing any level of service. Benefits: The City provided employee benefits such as social security insurance, retirement, worker's compensation, life insurance, medical insurance and dental insurance. ---PAGE BREAK--- CITY OF MARYSVILLE 2015-2016 BIENNIAL BUDGET GLOSSARY 10-2 Bond: A written promise to pay a specific sum of money (principal) at a specified future date along with periodic interest rate. Bonds are typically used for long-term debt to pay for a particular capital expenditure. Budget: A plan of financial operation embodying an estimate of proposed expenditures for a given period and the proposed means of financing them. Used without any modifier, the term usually indicates a financial plan for a single fiscal year. Budget Calendar: The schedule of key dates involved in the process of adopting and then executing an adopted budget. Budget Hearing: The public hearings conducted by City Council to consider and adopt the annual budget. Budget Policy: An overall plan to guide present and future courses of action regarding the coordination of revenues and expenditures. Capital Assets: Assets of significant value which have a useful life of several years. Also referred to as fixed assets. Capital Budget: Major capital improvements which are beyond the routine operation of the city are budgeted under separate capital project funds. These projects, which often require more than one year for completion, include items such as expansion of treatment plants and reconstruction of intersections. In total, these projects are referred to as the Capital Budget and are not included in the annual operating budget. Capital Improvement Program (CIP): A plan for capital expenditures to be incurred each year over a fixed period of years, identifying the expected beginning and ending date, and the amount to be expended in each year and the method of financing those expenditures. Capital Outlays: Annual operating expenditures for the acquisition of, or addition to, fixed assets. These expenditures must cost more than $1,000, including construction projects, land acquisition, major renovations or repairs to existing grounds or facilities, and equipment purchases. Capital Projects: Projects which purchase or construct capital assets. Typically a capital project encompasses a purchase of land and/or the construction of a building or facility. Cash Basis Accounting: The method of accounting where revenues are recorded when received and expenditures are recorded when paid. Certificate of Participation (COP): A type of lease-purchase financing wherein the bank serving as Trustee issues Certificates of Participation representing an undivided proportionate interest in the construction or purchase of real property. The City leases the property from the Trustee with an option to purchase at the end of the lease term. The COP owners receive proportionate shares of the stream of revenue paid by the City under the lease. COPs are backed by the full faith, credit and resources of the City. Contingency: A budgetary reserve set aside for emergencies or unforeseen expenditures. ---PAGE BREAK--- CITY OF MARYSVILLE 2015-2016 BIENNIAL BUDGET GLOSSARY 10-3 Councilmanic Bonds: Bonds issued with the approval of the City Council, as opposed to bonds which must be approved by public vote. Councilmanic bonds must not exceed 0.75 percent of the assessed valuation. Debt Service: The annual payment of principal and interest on the City's indebtedness. Deficit: The excess of the liabilities of a fund over its assets. The excess of expenditures over revenues during an accounting period; or, in the case of proprietary funds, the excess of expense over income during an accounting period. Depreciation: The periodic expiration of an asset’s useful life. Depreciation is a requirement, in proprietary type funds (such as enterprise and internal service funds). EMS: Emergency Medical Services. Encumbrance: The commitment of appropriated funds to purchase an item or service. Enterprise Fund: A type of proprietary fund containing the activities of funds where the intent is for the direct beneficiaries to pay for all costs of the fund through fees, or where a periodic determination of revenues and expenses is desired by management. Expenditures: Where accounts are kept on the accrual or modified accrual basis of accounting, the costs of goods received or services rendered whether cash payments have been made or not. Where accounts are kept on a cash basis, expenditures are recognized only when the cash payments for the above purposes are made. Fiscal Year: Any yearly accounting period, without regard to its relationship to a calendar year. The fiscal year for the City of Everett begins on January 1 and ends on December 31. FTE: Stands for Full-time Equivalent. A numerical expression which indicates the amount of time a position has been budgeted for. A position budgeted at 40 hours per week for 12 months equals 1.0 FTE. Other frequently budgeted levels are 20 hours per week FTE) to show a position that has been split between two funds because the employee's responsibilities directly affect two funds. Fund: An accounting entity with its own self-balancing set of accounts recording cash and/or other sources of revenues against expenditures for specific activities. Fund Balance: The excess of an entity's assets over its liabilities in a particular fund. A negative fund balance is sometimes called a deficit. GAAFR: Stands for Governmental Accounting, Auditing and Financial Reporting. The "blue book" is published by the Government Finance Officers Association to provide detailed guidance for the application of accounting principals for government. GAAP: Stands for Generally Accepted Accounting Principles, which are accounting and reporting standards used for both private industry and government. GASB: Government Accounting Standards Board regulates the rules and standards for all governmental units. ---PAGE BREAK--- CITY OF MARYSVILLE 2015-2016 BIENNIAL BUDGET GLOSSARY 10-4 General Fund: The City's principal operating fund, which is supported by taxes, fees, and other revenues that may be used for any lawful purpose. The fund of the City that accounts for all activity not specifically accounted for in other funds. Includes such operations as police, fire, engineering, planning, finance and administration. General Obligation Bonds: Bonds for which the full faith and credit of the issuing government are pledged for payment. Grants: A contribution of assets (usually cash) by one governmental unit or other organization to be used or spent for a specified purpose, activity, or facility. Typically, these contributions are made to local governments from the State and Federal governments. IAC: Inter-agency Committee for Outdoor Recreation Interfund Services/Revenue: The term "interfund" refers to transactions between individual Funds of the City rather than transactions between the City and private companies, other governments or vendors. From a budgeting and accounting perspective, the service provider Purchasing) will budget for both the cost of providing service and the revenue received from the service receiver Utilities) for the service. In other words, one fund would be the customer of another and both budgets must reflect this provider- customer relationship. As can be seen from this description, interfund activities inflate both expenditures and revenues; this causes what we refer to as "double budgeting." Interfund Transfers: Amounts transferred from one City fund to another. Intergovernmental Revenue: Grants, entitlements, shared revenues and payment for goods and services by one government to another. Internal Service Funds: A type of proprietary fund which accounts for the goods and services which are provided to other units of the City and payment by the benefiting unit is intended to fund the costs of providing such services. Levy: To impose a tax, special assessment or service charge for the support of government activities. The term most commonly refers to the real and personal property tax levy. Levy Rate: The rate at which taxes, special assessments or service charges are imposed. For example, the real and personal property tax levy is the rate at which property is taxed per $1,000 of assessed valuation. The rate is determined by calculating the ratio of the maximum amount of property tax revenue allowable under state law and the total assessed valuation within the taxing district. LEOFF: A state retirement system for law enforcement and the fire fighter personnel of the City. Liability: Debt or other legal obligation arising out of transactions in the past which must be liquidated, renewed or refunded at some future date. Licenses and Permits: Charges for the issuance of licenses and permits. Licenses are required by municipalities for selected trades, occupations and other activities for regulatory purposes. Permits are issued to aid regulation of new business activities. ---PAGE BREAK--- CITY OF MARYSVILLE 2015-2016 BIENNIAL BUDGET GLOSSARY 10-5 L.I.D.: Stands for Local Improvement District. A compulsory levy made against certain properties to defray part or all of the cost of a specific improvement or service deemed to primarily benefit those properties. Mandate: A requirement imposed by one unit of government on another unit of government. Modified Accrual Accounting: A basis of accounting in which expenditures are accrued but revenues are accounted for on a cash basis. This accounting technique is a combination of cash and accrual accounting since expenditures are immediately incurred as a liability while revenues are not recorded until they are actually received or are "measurable" and "available for expenditure". Since this type of accounting basis is a conservative financial approach, it is recommended as the standard for most governmental funds. Non-departmental Expenditures: Expenditures that are not directly related to the operations of a single City department. Object of Expenditure: Expenditure classifications based upon the types or categories of goods and services purchased. Typical objects of expenditure include personnel services (wages and salaries), contracted services (utilities, maintenance contracts, etc.) supplies and materials, and capital outlays. Operating Budget: The annual appropriation to maintain the provision of City services to the public. Operating Transfer In: Transfer from other funds which are not related to rendering of service. Other Services and Charges: A basic classification for services other than personnel services which are needed by the City. This budget item includes professional services, communication, travel, advertising, rentals and leases, insurance, public utility services, repairs and maintenance, and miscellaneous. Performance Objectives: A statement that describes in specific and measurable terms the results that the program is expected to achieve within a certain time-frame. Preantepenultimate: Fourth from the last. Program: A broad function or area of responsibility of government services. It is a basic organizational unit of government that is composed of a group of specific activities and operations directed at attaining a common purpose or goal. Proprietary Fund: See Enterprise Fund. Proposed Budget: The recommended and unapproved City budget submitted to the City Council and public in October/November of each year. PERS: Stands for Public Employees Retirement System provided for all City employees, other than law enforcement and fire fighter personnel, by the State of Washington. ---PAGE BREAK--- CITY OF MARYSVILLE 2015-2016 BIENNIAL BUDGET GLOSSARY 10-6 Reappropriation: A legal authorization granted by the City Council to reappropriate expenditures to the current budget year for a specific purpose or program that was budgeted but unexpended at the end of the prior year. Reserve: A segregation of assets to provide for future use toward a specified purpose. Resources: Total dollars available for appropriations including estimated revenues, fund transfers and beginning fund balances. Revenue: Income received by the City to support programs or services to the community. It includes such items as taxes, fees, user charges, grants, fines, forfeits, interest income and miscellaneous revenue. Revenue Estimate: A formal estimate of how much revenue will be earned from a specific source for some future period; typically, a year. Salaries and Wages: Amounts paid for services rendered by employees in accordance with rates, hours, terms and conditions authorized by law or stated in employment contracts. This category also includes overtime and seasonal help. Service Measures: Specific quantitative measures of work performed within an activity or program total miles of streets cleaned). Also a quantitative measure of results obtained through a program or activity reduced incidence of vandalism due to new street lighting program). Special Assessment Debt: Principal and interest on bonds related to Local Improvement Districts. This type of debt is callable when money is available to make payments which occurs when prepayments are received from property owners. The City budgets as if the entire debt will be paid in the current year, although this is highly unlikely. Special Revenue Funds: General government funds where the source of revenue is dedicated to a specific purpose. Strategic Outlook: Document created and used by the City of Everett for long-range budget planning. Supplemental Appropriation: An appropriation approved by the Council after the initial budget appropriation. Taxes: Compulsory charges levied by a government for the purpose of financing services performed for the common benefit. This term does not include specific charges made against particular persons or property for current or permanent benefits such as special assessments, or charges for services rendered only to those who pay, for example, sewer service charges. Transfers: Internal movements of revenue and expenses among funds in the budget to provide needed sources of funding for expenses incurred on behalf of another fund. Trust Fund: Funds used to account for assets held by a government in a trustee capacity for individuals, private organizations, other governments, and/or other funds. ---PAGE BREAK--- CITY OF MARYSVILLE 2015-2016 BIENNIAL BUDGET GLOSSARY 10-7 Working Capital: The year-end balance of current assets less current liabilities. Workload Measure: A unit of measure to identify the amount of work or product generated from specific activities. They form the basis for determining the unit’s success at reaching its performance objectives.