CAFR 2016

Committed for Economic Opportunity – This portion of fund balance represents amounts committed to enhancing economic development within the City of Greensboro. Committed for Cemetery Maintenance – This amount represents the portion of fund balance to be used for the maintenance and operation of the three cemeteries that are owned and operated by the City, primarily derived from cemetery lot sales. Committed for Debt Service – This represents amounts held for the future payment of general long-term debt principal and interest. Assigned Fund Balance can be assigned either by any action of the governing body, or by designees with authority to assign. Amounts can be unassigned by the same process. Assignments calculations may be made after the end of the fiscal year during the process of preparation of the financial statements. The City may delegate to the City Manager (or his designee) the authority to assign amounts of a fund balance to promote sound financial operations of the City or to meet a future obligation. Assigned for Subsequent Year’s Expenditures – This represents the amount of fund balance appropriated by the City Council to balance the budget for the year ending June 30, 2017. Assigned for Debt Service – This represents amounts held for the future payment of general long-term debt principal and interest. Assigned for Capital Projects – This represents funds used to finance all major capital improvements. The governing body approves the appropriation. Unassigned Fund Balance represents the residual classification for the General Fund, which has not been restricted committed, or assigned to specific purposes within the General Fund. Council action is needed to affect the Unassigned Fund Balance (Unappropriated Fund Balance) in the General Fund. The ordinance must be approved by seven Council members unless an emergency exists (Section 3.23 of Greensboro City Charter). The minimum fund balance policy for the General Fund is 9% of budgeted expenditures of the subsequent year, with the remaining amounts, if any, recorded as “Assigned for Capital Projects”. Unassigned residual deficits may apply to other governmental funds to the extent fund balances are insufficient to satisfy restricted and committed balances. The City of Greensboro’s revenue spending policy provides guidance for programs with multiple revenue sources. The Finance Officer will use resources in the following hierarchy; bond proceeds, federal funds, state funds, local non-City funds, and then City funds when directing expenditures of the City. Fund balance determination of order of expenditures – In determining the classification of total fund balance remaining at the end of the Fiscal Year when an expenditure is incurred for purposes for which both restricted and unrestricted amounts are available, expenditures will be applied first to restricted fund balance and then to unrestricted fund balance. The Finance Director has the authority to deviate from this policy if it is in the best interest of the City and promotes sound financial practices. Within unrestricted fund balance, the order in which the expenditures will be applied is as follows: Committed, Assigned, Unassigned, if multiple fund balances are reported for the same program. 10. Net Position The government-wide and business-type fund financial statements utilize a net position presentation. Net position is categorized as net investment in capital assets, restricted and unrestricted. Net Investment in Capital Assets is intended to reflect the portion of net position which is associated with non-liquid capital assets less outstanding capital asset-related debt. Restricted Net Position represents liquid assets (typically generated from certain revenues and bond proceeds) which have third-party (statutory, bond covenant or granting agency) limitations on their use. Restrictions may also be imposed by law through constitutional provisions or enabling legislation.

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