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HomeMy WebLinkAbout10A - 2000 Annual Financial Rpt MEETING DATE: AGENDA #: PREPARED BY: AGENDA ITEM: MAY 21, 2001 10 A RALPH TESCHNER, FINANCE DIRECTOR CONSIDER APPROV AL OF 2000 ANNUAL FINANCIAL REPORT AND MANAGEMENT LETTER DISCUSSION: History Council members were distributed a copy of the 2000 Financial Report along with the management letter as prepared by the certified public accountant firm of Abdo, Eick and Meyers. The report was given to you directly to afford sufficient time to review the document before the May 21st meeting. The audit was conducted in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards and represents an independent opinion of the financial results and status ofthe City of Prior Lake during the year of2000. Current Circumstances Contained within the financial report is a legal compliance audit which was performed to ensure compliance with Minnesota Statutes in the areas of; contracting and bidding, deposits and investments, conflicts of interest, public indebtedness and claims and disbursements. Also attached is a Management Letter prepared by the auditors that provides highlights of the report as well as any applicable recommendations. According to the auditor's tests, the City has complied with the applicable legal provisions as they apply to the five main categories stated above. Also noted within their report on internal control is the fact that no matters involving internal control structure and operation were observed to contain material weaknesses as defined by GAS (Government Auditing Standards). The audit has been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principals. The primary results indicated within the 2000 audit are: 1.) Actual revenues of $8,289,634 (including transfers in) compared to budgeted revenues of $7,334,944 or 113% of projection. 2.) Operating expenditures were $7,258,361 compared to budgeted expenditures 00,334,944 or 99.0% of budget. 3.) Gross revenues exceeded expenditures in the amount of $1,031,273. H: \A UDIT\Agendaaudit.doc 16200 Eagle Creek Ave. S.E., Prior Lake, Minnesota 55372-1714 / Ph. (612) 447-4230 / Fax (612) 447-4245 AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER 1'-' i T The 2000 year-end General Fund balance (which is maintained for cash flow and emergency purposes) increased to $3,481,261 that represents a reserve of 47% of the 2000 General Fund Budget or $1,280,778 above the council recognized 30% threshold. This level is more consistent with the auditor's previous recommendation of 45-50%. The reserve growth occurred primarily because of four contributing factors." · The first was careful expenditure of budgeted funds. The City Manager, Finance Director and City department and division supervisors expect that purchases are made only if needed, and adhere to this practice. · The second occurrence is that nearly 23% of the revenue increase represented one-time revenue windfalls from the restructuring of franchise fees and intergovernmental emergency aid. · Third, growth related revenues such as building pennits were up 30%. · Fourth, developer agreement revenue came in at more than $230,000 above projections. The last two revenue sources are highly elastic and are difficult to accurately anticipate. The significant increase in our General Fund balance was a very timely occurrence in light of the property acquisition and project assistance that is being considered for this year. The Management Letter is intended to bring to the City Council's attention deficiencies or conditions recommended for improvement within the design or administration of the City's financial operations. A graphic summary of the City's results of operations within the General Fund depicting revenues and expenditures is included. Also, the auditors discuss the importance of maintaining an adequate fund balance for cash flow purposes and to establish overall long tern1 financial strength. AL TERNA TIVES: The following alternatives are available to the City Council: 1. Accept 2000 Annual Financial Report and Management Letter as submitted. 2. Delay action according to specific Council reason. RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends approval of the management letter and the financial report for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2000 as submitted. A City Financial Reporting Form, which is basically a condensed excerpt of the official document, is required to be submitted to the Office of the State Auditor by June 30, 2001 along with this report. H.IA UDlTlAgendaaudit doc RECOMMENDED MOTION: REVIEWED BY: Attachments: H.IA UDlTlAgendaauditdoc IT Please feel free to contact Staff prior to the meeting if you have any questions. Steve McDonald of the finTI Abdo, Eick and Meyers will make a brief presentation regarding the report and management letter and respond to any questions the council may have. Motion to accept the 2000 Annual Financial Report and Management Letter. Certified Public Accountanis & Consultants March 16,2001 7241 Ohms Lane Suite 200 Minneapolis, MN 55439 Honorable Mayor and City Council City of Prior Lake Prior Lake, Minnesota We have audited the general purpose fmancial statements of the City of Prior Lake for the year ended December 31, 2000 and have issued our report thereon dated March 16, 2001. Professional standards require that we provide you with the following information related to our audit. Our Responsibility under U.S. Generally Accepted Auditing Standards and Government Auditing Standards As stated in our engagement letter, our responsibility, as described by professional standards, is to plan and perform our audit to obtain reasonable - but not absolute - assurance that the fmancial statements are free of material misstatement and are fairly presented in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles. Because of the concept of reasonable assurance and because we did not perform a detailed examination of all transactions, there is a risk that material errors, fraud, or other illegal acts may exist and not be detected by us. As part of our audit, we considered the internal control of the City. Such considerations were solely for the purpose of determining our audit procedures and not to provide any assurance concerning such internal control. A material weakness is a reportable condition in which the design or operation of one or more of the internal control components does not reduce to a relatively low level the risk that errors or irregularities in amounts that would be material in relation to the fmancial statements being audited may occur and not be detected within a timely period by employees in the normal course of performing their assigned functions. Our consideration of internal control would not necessarily disclose all matters in internal control that might be reportable conditions and, accordingly, would not necessarily disclose all reportable conditions that are also considered to be a material weakness, as defmed above. We noted no matters involving the internal control over fmancial reporting and the City's operation that we consider to be a material weakness. As part of obtaining reasonable assurance about whether the fmancial statements are free of material misstatement, we performed tests of compliance with certain provisions of laws, regulations, contracts and grants. However, the objective of our tests was not to provide an opinion on compliance with such provisions. We noted no instances of non-compliance. Significant Accounting Policies Management has the responsibility for selection and use of appropriate accounting policies. In accordance with the terms of our engagement letter, we will advise management about the appropriateness of accounting policies and their application. The significant accounting policies used by the City are described in Note 1 to the general purpose fmancial statements. No new accounting policies were adopted and the application of existing policies was not changed during 2000. We noted no transactions entered into by the City during the year that were both significant and unusual, and of which - under professional standards - we are required to inform you, or transactions for which there is a lack of authoritative guidance or consensus. 612.835.9090 . Fax 612.835.3261 City of Prior Lake March 16,2001 Page Two Accounting Estimates Accounting estimates are an integral part of the general purpose fmancial statements prepared by management and are based on management's knowledge and experience about past and current events and assumptions about future events. Certain accounting estimates are particularly sensitive because of their significance to the general-purpose financial statements and because of the possibility that future events affecting them may differ significantly from those expected. Depreciation on enterprise fund fixed assets is an example of an estimate. It is based on the estimated useful life of an asset. Significant Audit Adjustments F or purposes of this letter, professional standards defme a significant audit adjustment as a proposed correction of the general-purpose fmancial statements that, in our judgment, may not have been detected except through our auditing procedures. We proposed no material audit adjustments. Disagreements with Management For purposes of this letter, professional standards defme a disagreement with management as a matter, whether or not resolved to our satisfaction, concerning a fmancial accounting, reporting or auditing matter that could be significant to the general-purpose fmancial statements or the auditors' report. Weare pleased to report that no such disagreements arose during the course of our audit. Consultations with Other Independent Accountants In some cases, management may decide to consult with other accountants about auditing and accounting matters, similar to obtaining a "second opinion" on certain situations. If a consultation involves application of an accounting principle to the City's general purpose fmancial statements or a determination of the type of auditors' opinion that may be expressed on those statements, our professional standards require the consulting accountant to check with us to determine that the consultant has all the relevant facts. To our knowledge, ther-e were no such consultations with other accountants. Issues Discussed Prior to Retention of Independent Auditors We generally discuss a variety of matters, including the application of accounting principles and auditing standards, with management each year prior to retention as the City's auditors. However, these discussions occurred in the normal course of our professional relationship and our responses were not a condition to our retention. Difficulties Encountered in Performing the Audit We encountered no difficulties in dealing with management in performing our audit. 11.1 City of Prior Lake March 16,2001 Page Three Other Matters The following are items that came to our attention during the audit that we feel should be noted: Financial Position and Results of Operations General Fund The General Fund balance increased $1,031,273 to $3,481,261 at December 31, 2000. Overall, revenue was $954,690 above budget and expenditures were below budget by $78,210. We normally recommend a minimum fund balance reserve around 50% of planned expenditures. The City has a policy to maintain a reserve of at least 30% of planned expenditures in fund balance. This provides adequate working capital until major revenue sources are received in July. The current year fund balance is 47% of2000 budget which is $1,280,778 above the City's recognized 30% threshold for fund balance reserve. The fund balance in relation to expenditures for the last three years follows: $8,000,000 $7,000,000 $6,000,000 $5,000,000 $4,000,000 $3,000,000 $2,000,000 $1,000,000 $0 . Exenditures o Fund balance . Fund balance as a percent 1998 $6,676,814 $2,254,553 33.77% 1999 $7,405,634 $2,449,988 33.08% 2000 $7,258,361 $3,481,261 47.96% Some of the purposes and benefits of maintaining an adequate fund balance are as follows: Purposes and Benefits Expenditures are incurred somewhat evenly throughout the year. However, currently, 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 General Fund expenditures. The City is vulnerable to legislative actions at the State and Federal level. Recent years have seen the State continually adjusting the local government aid and property tax credit formulas as well as implementing levy limits. An adequate fund balance will provide a temporary buffer against those aid adjustments and levy limits. Expenditures not anticipated at the time the annual budget was adopted may need immediate Council action. These may 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 maintaining or improving its bond rating. City of Prior Lake March 16,2001 Page Four A summary of 2000 General Fund revenue and expenditures is as follows: Revenue Expenditures Other Financing Sources (uses) Operating transfers in Operating transfers out Variance Favorable Budget Actual (Unfavorable) $ 7,134,944 $ 8,089,634 $ 954,690 (6,620,234 ) (6,542,024 ) 78,210 200,000 200,000 (714.710) (716.337) (1.627) Excess (Deficiency) of Revenue and Other Sources Over Expenditures and Other Uses $ 1,031,273 2.449.988 $ 3.481.261 $ 1 031.273 Fund Balance, January 1 Fund Balance, December 31 The total positive variance in revenue was 13% of the revenue budget. The majority of this variance came from one time windfalls or growth related income. The three largest line items are Developer's Agreements ($230,277 variance), Interest ($135, 161 variance) and Building Permits ($123,684 variance). Page 25 of the audit lists all categories ofrevenue compared with budget. All of the significant items were discussed in the Finance Director's year end report. The City has estimated costs of $1 million dollars for property acquisition, project assistance and litigation that is considered out of the ordinary for 2001. The revenue variance is planned to be used to cover the majority of these costs. II iI City of Prior Lake March 16,2001 Page Five A comparison between 2000 and 1999 revenue is presented below: Percent Increase of (Decrease) Revenue Source 2000 Total 1999 From 1999 Property Taxes $ 3,935,702 47.48% $ 3,907,775 $ 27,927 Licenses and Pennits 549,729 6.63 480,713 69,016 Intergovernmental 1,933,628 23.33 1,826,040 107,588 Charges for Services 1,033,203 12.46 739,662 293,541 Fines and Forfeits 107,091 1.29 110,309 (3,218) Other Revenue 329,495 3.97 239,838 89,657 Interest 200,786 2.42 96,732 104,054 Transfers 200,000 2.42 200,000 Total Revenue S 8.289.6~4 100.00% ~ 7.60 I .06~ $ 688.565 A graphical presentation of2000 revenue totals follows: 2000 Revenue Fines 1.29% Charges for Service 12.46% Taxes 47.48% Transfers 2.42% Interest 2.42% Other Revenue 3.97% Intergovernmental 23.33% City of Prior Lake March 16,2001 Page Six A comparison between 2000 and 1999 expenditures is presented below: Percent Increase of (Decrease) Programs 2000 Total 1999 From 1999 General Government $ 1,624,061 22.38% $ 1,553,280 $ 70,781 Public Safety Police 1,639,912 22.59 1,604,751 35,161 Fire 257,976 3.55 248,308 9,668 Other 294,897 4.06 271,026 23,871 Public Works 854,566 11.77 839,384 15,182 Culture and Recreation 1,219,239 16.80 1,135,158 84,081 Other 430,023 5.92 447,866 (17,843 ) Capital Outlay 221,350 3.05 93,713 127,637 Transfers to Other Funds 716.337 ~ 1212,148 (495.811 ) Total Expenditures $ 7.258.361 l.2Q.QQ% $ 7.405.634 $ (]47.273) A graphical presentation of 2000 expenditures totals by program follows: 2000 Expenditures Capital Outlay 3.05% Tranfers 9.88% General Government 22.38% Other 5.92% Public Safety 30.20% Culture & Recreation 16.80% I I IT II II City of Prior Lake March 16, 2001 Page Seven Special Revenue Funds Special revenue funds are used to account for revenue that is to be used for a specific purpose. A summary of the special revenue funds and fund balances is shown below: Fund Balance Capital Park Severance Compensation EDC Revolving Loan Revolving Loan DAG Cable Franchise $ 1,165,492 149,457 64,656 11,888 250,515 107.307 I 749.315 $ Increase 1999 (Decrease ) 531,782 $ 633,710 209,739 (60,282 ) 60,841 3,815 4,912 6,976 93,937 156,578 39.610 67.697 940 821 $ 808.494 2000 Total $ $ All funds have positive fund balances and provide reserves for future expenditures. Debt Service Funds The debt service funds are used to account for the resources accumulated to repay bond principal and interest. The resources generally consist of special assessments levied against benefiting properties, general property taxes or tax increments. All bonds appear to have adequate resources at year end to pay their obligations. The table below summarizes the obligations outstanding. Total Total Bonds Cash Assets Outstanding Fire Hall Bonds $ 1,539,967 $ 1,539,967 $ 3,190,000* North Shore 1,134,938 2,077,028 1,040,000 Water Tower 577,721 577,721 560,000 Business Office Park (26%) 722,993 786,398 328,900 Business Office Park (74%) 556,377 580,797 936,100 Prior South 88,321 133,285 340,000 Ridgemount 82,587 146,424 530,000 Water Rev. PW Bldg. 152,702 152,702 1,885,000 Northwood 202,925 309,846 620,000 Pike Lake 132,627 281,942 765,000 Park Referendum 7,029,999 7,029,999 14,665,000** Duluth 249,362 484,513 1,025,000 Candy Cove 170,398 377,357 950,000 Oak Ridge 159.814 517.353 1.125,000 Total $ 12.800.731 $ 14.995 332 $ 27 960.000 * Includes escrow to provide for prepayment of 1993 Fire Station Bonds totaling $1,540,000 on December 1, 2001. ** Includes escrow to provide for prepayment of 1997 Park Bonds totaling $7,025,000 on December 1, 2003. City of Prior Lake March 16,2001 Page Eight Capital Project Funds The following funds account for major capital projects: Fund Fund Balance Balance Increase 12/31/00 12/31/99 (Decrease ) Tax Increment $ 260,097 $ 151,940 $ 108,157 Revolving Equipment 802,634 931,296 (128,662 ) Building 67,545 63,538 4,007 Construction 1,100,179 1,181,293 (81,114 ) Trunk Reserve 2,453,127 1,833,446 619,681 Collector Street 1,687,745 1,502,993 184,752 Park Referendum 372,703 1,977,410 (1,604,707 ) Tax Increment 2-1 Keyland 3,584 4,712 (1,128) Tax Increment 2-2 Becker 3,623 24,096 (20,473 ) Tax Increment 2-3 Amer/Metro 3,710 7,030 (3,320 ) Tax Increment 2-4 Commercial 162,737 138,207 24,530 Tax Increment 2-5 E.M. Prod. 3,812 8,706 (4,894 ) Tax Increment 2-6 NBC 3,116 26,754 (23,638 ) Tax Increment 2-7 A ward Prin. 864 1,789 (925 ) Tax Increment 2-8 D Hansen 165 1.892 (1,727) Total $ 6925.641 $ 7.855.102 $ (929461 ) All funds have a positive fund balance. As projects are completed, any remaining balances are closed to the fund that provided the original fInancing. Enterprise Funds The Water and Sewer Utility and Storm Water Utility Funds are accounted for in separate enterprise funds and a summary of each follows. Water and Sewer Utility Fund The Water and Sewer Utility Fund results of operations for the past two years are as follows: Percent of Percent of Total Total 2000 Revenue 1999 Revenue Operating revenue Sewer charges $ 1,585,450 56.0% $ 1,492,977 58.1% Water charges 768,890 27.2 583,385 22.7 Other 474.135 16.8 493.100 19.2 Total operating revenue 2,828,475 100.0 2,569,462 100.0 Total expenses 1.859,910 65.8 1.851.361 72.1 Operating income $ 968.565 34.2% $ 718 101 27.9% Cash balance at year end $ 4.094 759 $ 3.004.276 After operating transfers in the form of a budgeted general fund contribution and revenue bond payment transfer, a net income of$795,175 was realized in 2000 compared to $490,884 in 1999. The current cash balance is needed to provide working capital and major capital needs. The current margins are generating excellent cash flow and the cash balance will provide for future expansion and maintenance of the system. rc 1111 City of Prior Lake March 16,2001 Page Nine Storm Water Utility The Storm Water Utility results of operations for the past two years are as follows: Percent of Percent of 2000 Revenue 1999 Revenue Total revenue $ 153,262 100.0% $ 163,286 100.0 % Total expenses 102,700 67.0 237,705 145.6 Operating income $ 50,562 33.0% $ (74.419) (45 6)% Cash balance at year end $ 182,134 $ 86.188 The large decrease in expenses came in the repair and maintenance category of expenses. Although the cash balance appears adequate, the City should evaluate operations annually to ensure rates are sufficient. Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) Statement No. 34, Basic Financial Statements - and Management's Discussion and Analysis - for State and Local Governments GASB Statement No. 34 is the result of an almost decade long effort by GASB to reexamine the fmancial reporting model for state and local governments. The most notable change is the presentation of a set of highly aggregated, "full accrual" fmancial statements. At the same time, however, the Statement retains many familiar features of current governmental fInancial reporting, in particular fund-based fmancial statements. State and local governmental fmancial statement preparers and auditors will need to comprehend and implement a vast number of changes in accounting and fmancial reporting. They will have to explain those changes to persons who are unfamiliar with the particulars of accounting, much less the unique area of state and local governmental accounting. The following are some specific areas that need to be addressed with the implementation of this new statement: Timeline GASB Statement No. 34 is effective in three phases based on the total annual revenues of the primary government's governmental and proprietary funds, although earlier application is encouraged. For this purpose, revenues include all revenues except for other fmancing sources and certain extraordinary items. Based on this calculation, the City is considered to be phase 2. Therefore, the City is required to implement GASB Statement No. 34 for the calendar year ending 2003. Management's Discussion and Analysis (MD&A) MD&A gives an objective and easily readable analysis of a government's fmancial activities based on currently known facts, decisions, or conditions. It presents short and long-term analyses of the government's activities, compares current- year results with those of the prior year, and discusses the positive and negative aspects of that comparison. Government-wide Financial Statements The government-wide fmancial statements are (1) a statement of net assets and (2) a statement of activities. The statement of net assets presents the government's financial position at a point in time (like a balance sheet does); the statement of activities presents its activities during a period (like an operating staternent does). These statements present highly aggregated information for the overall government; they do not display individual funds or fund types. They also present fmancial information in separate rows and columns for the (1) primary government's aggregate governmental activities, (2) primary government's aggregate business-type activities, (3) total primary government, and (4) discretely presented component units. City of Prior Lake March 16,2001 Page Ten Capital Assets Capital assets are tangible and intangible assets that are used in operations that have initial useful lives longer than one year. They include land and improvements, easements, buildings and improvements, equipment, and works of art and historical treasures. Capital assets also include infrastructure assets - normally stationary capital assets that can be preserved for significantly greater number of years than most capital assets. Infrastructure assets include roads, bridges and tunnels; water, sewer and drainage systems; darns; lighting systems; and buildings that are an ancillary part of a network of infrastructure assets. Capital assets are reported in the statement of net assets at historical cost (or estimated fair value, if donated) and net of accumulated depreciation. They are depreciated in the statement of activities over their estimated useful lives. Infrastructure Assets GASB Statement No. 34 applies prospectively to all general infrastructure assets beginning at the effective dates of the Statement (or earlier, if the statement is implemented earlier). Governments are also encouraged to apply the Statement retroactively to all existing major general infrastructure assets at that time. However, phase 2 governments need not retroactively report those assets until fiscal year 2007 - four years after their required implementation of Statement No. 34. Phase 3 governments are encouraged but not required to report major general infrastructure assets retroactively. If there are inadequate records of the actual historical cost of existing general infrastructure assets, governments can estimate historical cost. They also may limit retroactive application to only those major general infrastructure assets that were acquired or significantly reconstructed, or that received significant improvements, in fiscal years ending after June 30, 1980. The above gives you some general information on GASB Statement No. 34 implementation. We intend to educate and work with all of our clients in developing a plan to implement this new statement. As a result of implementing this statement, there will no doubt be additional fees for our services. These expected increases will most likely result from additional time spent in the areas of (1) training, (2) account structure modifications to provide information necessary to prepare fmancial statements, (3) accounting for fixed assets, infrastructure assets and related depreciation, and (4) [mancial statement preparation. The more that the City staff can do in the areas of fixed asset accounting and proper account structure will help in reducing these costs. We will help you as much as possible to accomplish this. * * * * * This report is intended solely for the use of management and council. The comments and recommendations in the report are purely constructive in nature, and should be read in this context. Our audit would not necessarily disclose all weaknesses in the system because it was based on selected tests of the accounting records and related data. If you have any questions or wish to discuss any of the items contained in this letter, please feel free to contact us at your convenience. We wish to thank you for the opportunity to be of service and for the courtesy and cooperation extended to us by your staff. March 16, 2001 Minneapolis, Minnesota ~) ~J. ! (YJt2f..{>jLLf ABDO, EICK & MEYERS, LLP Certified Public Accountants IT 11-;]