examination of extensive annual financial report

Abstract

The Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) is a survey used by cities and local government authorities to provide people with their financial records every year, while sticking with government accounting standards panel (GASB) recommendations. The record presents a thorough picture with the reporting entity’s financial condition, it offers how funds are put in and given throughout the year.

Introduction

I will be within the Carlsbad CAFR for the season ended 2011. The beautiful city of Carlsbad is located along the coastline of el monte.

Carlsbad is known for its amazing beaches and lagoons which cover you, 000 Miles of nature preserves and hiking paths. Its history dates back to 1700. Before becoming part of the United States, it was a territory of Spain and then Mexico, and the shoreline of Carlsbad’s coastal lagoon was home to the local Luiseno and Diegueños Indians for centuries prior to arrival with the Spaniards (City of Carlsbad, n. d. ). The latest population with the city is around 107, 000 residents; total area can be 42 Sq .

A long way (City of Carlsbad, and. d). The cities leading business includes hospitality, existence science, shoe and fun, and telecoms.

The city gives a wide range of companies to residents such as; police, fire, system, and standard administration, the CAFR delivers detailed info on how these types of services happen to be funded, and the type of the governmental funds allocated for the services. Metropolis exhibits liability and honesty by posting the CAFR with its residents, in turn this kind of builds trust in the residents toward their very own city, rely upon that their hard-earned cash is being found in the appropriate solutions, and these funds happen to be put back in the maintenance and development of their communities. I will be presenting an analysis of Carlsbad’s comprehensive annual monetary report intended for the year concluded 2011. The report contains three sections that are initial, financial, and statistical.

Initial Analysis

The introductory intended for the city Carlsbad’s CAFR begins with a five-year vision affirmation. It is a basic vision statement; I discover very stimulating, and reassuring to present that before going into depth with all the report. It provides the city’s economic aim, programs, guidelines, and decisions to be applied by the city’s officials; additionally, it lists the kind of leadership, the open govt policy, plus they type of environmental services and just how they are been able. Then one will find the Letter of Transmittal presented by the city’s fund department, addressed to the gran, city council and individuals of Carlsbad. The notice is to clarify why the CAFR is prepared, what is included in the CAFR, the guidelines adopted such as Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) and that GASB requirements were preserved in the report. The finance office received an auditing through the independent auditing firm Mayer Hoffman McCann, they also included where the effects of the auditing can be located which I will handle in the monetary analysis down the road.

In addition the letter provides an audited governments’ internal control and compliance with legal requirements that were in place. The letter also includes an account of the town, stating the people, the location of the town, a section regarding the city of Carlsbad community vision, the budget process that explains top priority projects intended for the city, and budgetary handles. Followed by factors affecting personal finances, this section protects the Financial profile, long-term financial preparing, and funds management. The Economic profile covers economic strengths and weakness with the city. The location shows improvement in most of its General fund income, and is expecting to increase by $ 2 . 3 Million or 2 . 1 percent in fiscal year 2011-12; weak spot in household housing market troubled by property duty and 0. 2 percent decrease is likewise anticipated in coming season (City of Carlsbad, n. d. )

One of the leading elements to the financial crisis in the United States was the housing market; this had affected Carlsbad adversely, house prices fell that way in many urban centers in the country. They will fell by simply 8 percent in Carlsbad compared to the last year, and the subsequent is a data showing the trend in housing prices inside the city (City of Carlsbad, n. deb. )

Long term financial planning states that it is the City’s Council’s aim to ensure that all their city remains to be in good financial overall health. The city features taken several steps to achieve this aim, setting forth a Growth Management Plan. The routine was used by the residents. It makes certain that all the necessary public establishments are possibly constructed along with development or which a financing program is in spot to pay for the facilities prior to the development of the property. To ensure this plan is effective, a great Infrastructure Replacement unit Fund was developed. This fund sets apart money on a yearly basis for significant maintenance and replacement of it is infrastructure (City of Carlsbad, n. d. ).

The creation with this fund can be described as brilliant idea, so if the time involves make the necessary improvement the location would have the cash ready, and it would not have to copy money from other governmental cash. As our economy is supposed to slowly recover, it will give to support to the largest part of our economy, the housing industry. The General finance revenue will continue to cover the ongoing cost as noticed in the following graph (City of Carlsbad, and. d).

The very last part of the notice was useful about money management, key initiatives and projects. The cash management section covers the investment programs, its procedures as well as the objectives. The major initiativesand jobs section goes into to depth about the upcoming projects, it also supplies developments plus the maintenance of these projects that can strengthen and improve the community. Followed by the letter of transmittal are the Awards and acknowledgments, the government finance representatives association states and Canada (GFOA) honored the city of Carlsbad the certificate of achievement for quality in financial reporting to the city of Carlsbad because of its CAFR. (City of Carlsbad, n. g. ). A website called Carlsbadistan which is specialized in new, occasions, and all items Carlsbad, explained that associated with Carlsbad have been awarded intended for the 11th time the GFOA during 2009, with this CAFR dating 06, 30 2011, this prize would be the 12th award received by the city.

The Initial section proves with a set of the city’s elected officials, leadership crew, chairpersons, commissions and boards, and finally an organization chart of electorate. I found the preliminary section plus the information provided to be very well put, educational, easy to read and follow, the statistical numbers presented in the economic section, the cash supervision and purchases were educational. This city has attained the 12th GFOA prizes received, because they basic yet extremely complex info that is provided year after year in the CAFR.

Monetary Analysis

The financial part of the CAFR for the city of Carlsbad lists and analyzes the constituents of financial information for the location, which allows the reader be familiar with financial condition of the city intended for the year ended and the expected budgetary intended for the following year. This section contains Independent Auditors’ report, Management’s Discussion and Analysis (MD&A), and economic analysis with the city’s cash. The 3rd party Auditors’ survey main purpose is to examine the economic information provided in the city’s financial statements. The impartial auditors concluded the city’s governmental actions, business-type actions, and each main fund was represented in a fair subject, also in compliance with generally acknowledged accounting guidelines as of 06 30, 2011. MD&A portion includes a summary of financial transactions, with a data of the claims, is helpful about the type of financial claims such as Government-Wide financial statements (“which are intended to provide aggregated overview of a government’s net assets and changes in net assets) (Wilson, E. Ur., Reck, M. L., & Kattelus), and fund economic statements. Despite this, I thought that breaks down and simplifies the goal of these statements monetary reporting.

Especially in the Improvements the net resources section provided a general summary of revenues and expenses from 2010-2011, with 11. five per cent decline by previous yr, 2011 income is 217. 2 (Governmental activities 152. 4 and Business-type activities), while bills 26. 1 had an boost of 1. 5 %( Governmental activities 21. 8 and Business activities 4. 3). The graph and or chart for sources of revenue are available in this section, listed below are the options for revenue to get fiscal year 2010-2011 amounted to $217. 2 Mil, the break down was since followed: Input from house owners 11%, home taxes 26%, income from property & investments 5%, other taxation 4%, revenue taxes 4% federal aid 4%, and then the biggest contributor to income was charges for solutions 31%(City of Carlsbad, n. d. )

The following is a summary of the Governmental and Business- type activities on page twenty-five. Governmental actions had an increase in net resources of $21. 8 Mil, the increase was generated by simply total profits of governmental activities of $ 152. 2 , 000, 000 ( $42. 7 mil in system revenues and $109. 5 million on the whole revenues) balance by $130. 3 million in total costs of government activities and $ one hundred thirty five, 000 copy to the sturdy waste fun ( Associated with Carlsbad, and. d. ) And for those who are visual student like me, this is actually the visual help to show the breakdown from the Governmental activities program profits and expenditures (City of Carlsbad, d. d. )

Business-type Activities components happen to be water, golf course, wastewater, and solid waste materials, for these software revenues totaled $56. five million pertaining to the year, and functional expenditures $60. almost 8 million(City of Carlsbad, n. d. ). Financial Research of the city’s funds delivers information with regards to Governmental money and Amazing funds. Government funds are near-term, inflows, outflows and balances of spendable assets that are necessary for assessing the city’s loans requirements. Under the Governmental funds one can find the typical fund declaration of earnings, expenditures, and changes in account balance, the city’s income and costs for 2011 were as followed; Profits saw a boost of 2. 6% from prior year, total $111. 6th Million, largest element of the revenue was taxes for $95. five Million. WhereasExpenditures largest element was public safety $44. 2 Mil, total expenditures were 102. 1 an there was a growth 1 . 0%. Ending pay for balance inside the statement was $130. 4Million (City of Carlsbad, in. d. ).

As for the idea Proprietary Cash in addition to operating income and expenses, is to present short and long term economic information about the city’s Business-type actions, the working revenues had been $35. you Million which will exceeded working expenses that had been $747, 1000, this increase was because of the increase in normal water sales earnings to prices (City of Carlsbad, n. d. ). This boost has a unhealthy sweet aspect to it, in one turn in revenue is actually a sign which the city is doing great underneath light with this depressive economy, on the other hand residents of this could use a break coming from these elevating rates. Just before moving on for the statements metropolis listed the contact information to get the city’s financial administration for inquiries about CAFR.

Notes to financial Assertions begin on-page 59 from the report, it includes when the city was included, a description and scopes with the reporting organization which have several components, We consider it a good way of delivering a summary for the report, it presents some of the information gives earlier inside the report, just like Governmental vast and fund financial statements, the remarks states so why they reported and how these people were reported. As well lists the sort of the governmental funds included in the report just like general cash, and redevelopment debt support funds, being a reader I actually appreciated just how each of these funds were identified and actually detailed. In addition a listing of the business fund had been introduced in this section, explaining what they are such as Carlsbad municipal water section, golf course, waste water, etc, and wherever are individuals funds allotted.

Financial Standing up

Overview of the city’s loans over the past 12 fiscal years shows that metropolis has been doing wonderful, and is going through a growth with the tough economy the country has become facing, taking a look at the total net assets supports that expansion. In 2002, city of Carlsbad had $740, 000 as a whole net resources, while this summer the total net assets had been $17Million (Carlsbad CAFR 2011, 120) I think one of the main reasons the economy in this city is holding up relatively very well, is due to the housing market, metropolis location is an essential factor why a lot of home customers gravitate towardsit.

Conclusion

The CAFR to get the city of Carlsbad was exceptionally interesting, informative, and simple to read and follow. Today wonder this city offers earned the GFOA intended for consecutive 12 years. The introductory, financial and statistical sections had charts and charts to explain and show how funds for this city was spent, which significantly helped the visual learners in the public to grasp the complicated accounting components of the report.

Recommendations

1. The city of Carlsbad CAFR web site http://www.carlsbadca.gov/services/departments/finance/Documents/2011%20CAFR.pdf
2. Carlsbadistan web page http://www.carlsbadistan.com/?p=5623
3. Accounting for Governmental and Charitable Entities(15th edition)
4. APA Reference Information http://datel200.nu.edu/web/documents/APA.pdf

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