Fort Walton Beach — Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, September 30, 2025 — reading text

accrued. No accrual has been made for 2025 ad valorem taxes because property taxes are not legally due until subsequent to the end of the fiscal year. Current year taxes, which are uncollected as of the end of the fiscal year, are generally immaterial in amount and highly susceptible to uncollectibility and, therefore, are not recorded as a receivable on the balance sheet date. Basis of Presentation The financial transactions of the City are recorded in individual funds. Each fund is a separate accounting entity with a self-balancing set of accounts recording cash and other financial resources, together with all related liabilities and residual equities or balances, and changes therein, which are segregated for the purpose of carrying on specific activities or attaining certain objectives in accordance with special regulations, restrictions or limitations. Generally, the effect of interfund activity has been eliminated from the government-wide financial statements. Exceptions to this general rule are other charges between the government's utility function and various other functions of the government. Elimination of these charges would distort the direct costs and program revenues reported for the various functions concerned. Amounts reported as program revenues include 1) charges to customers or applicants for goods, services, or privileges provided, 2) operating grants and contributions, and 3) capital grants and contributions, including special assessments. Internally dedicated resources are reported as general revenues rather than as program revenues. Likewise, general revenues include all taxes. Any portion of franchise fees that is not based on gross receipts are reported as a charge for service in the function or activity that generates the fee. During fiscal year 2025, franchise fees were all based on gross receipts and thus recorded as general revenues. Proprietary funds distinguish operating revenues and expenses from non-operating items. Operating revenues and expenses generally result from providing services and producing and delivering goods in connection with a proprietary fund's principal ongoing operations. The principal operating revenues of the City's enterprise funds are charges to customers for sales and services. The City considers all impact fee revenue as capital contributions for the water and sewer system; therefore, no amount from the impact fees is included in operating revenue. Operating expenses for enterprise funds include the cost of sales and service, administrative expenses, and depreciation on capital assets. All revenues and expenses not meeting this definition are reported as non-operating revenues and expenses. 30  CITY OF FORT WALTON BEACH, FLORIDA NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS SEPTEMBER 30, 2025 The following three broad classifications are used to categorize the fund types used by the City: Governmental Governmental funds focus on the determination of financial position and changes in financial position (sources, uses, and balances of financial resources) and not net income. The City has the following major governmental funds: General Fund – This is the City's primary operating fund and is used to account for all financial resources except those required to be accounted for in another fund. Community Redevelopment Agency Fund – The Community Redevelopment Agency Fund is the operating fund of the Fort Walton Beach Community Redevelopment Agency (the CRA). It is used to account for the activities of the CRA. Revenue sources for this fund include tax increment financing proceeds from ad valorem taxes as well as investment income. Beal Memorial Cemetery (BMC) Perpetual Care Fund – Accounts for a portion of lot sales at Beal Memorial Cemetery (the Cemetery), as well as the investment earnings on accumulated unspent proceeds from lot sales, that are committed by ordinance to fund perpetual care of the Cemetery. Proprietary Proprietary funds focus on the determination of net income, changes in net position, financial position, and cash flows. All of the City's proprietary funds are enterprise funds, as fees are charged to external users for services. The following is a description of the major proprietary funds of the City: Utilities Fund – Used to account for the operations of the City, which provides distribution of potable water, sales and service and sanitary wastewater collection, treatment and disposal. Sanitation Fund – Accounts for the operation of the City that provides for solid waste collection and disposal. Stormwater Fund – Used to account for the revenues and expenses associated with operating the City’s stormwater utility system. Fiduciary Fiduciary funds are used to account for the assets held on behalf of outside parties, including other governments, or on behalf of other funds within the City. The City has the following type of fiduciary fund: Pension Trust Funds – Used to report the resources that are required to be held in trust for the members and beneficiaries of the three defined benefit pension plans administered by the City: General Employees' Retirement Fund, Police Officers' Retirement Fund, and Firefighters' Retirement Fund. Assets, Liabilities, Deferred Outflows/Inflows, and Net Position or Fund Balance Cash and Cash Equivalents The City defines cash and cash equivalents as cash held at a depository and cash on hand for operating purposes and those investments which are short term and highly liquid. Generally, those investments have maturities of three (3) months or less from the date of acquisition. The City maintains an equity in pooled cash fund. The City’s cash deposits are held by banks that qualify as public depositories under the Florida Security for Public Deposits Act as required by Chapter 280, Florida Statutes. The City’s cash deposits are held by banks that are Qualified Public Depositories under the Florida Security for Public Deposits Act as required by Chapter 280, Florida Statutes. 31  CITY OF FORT WALTON BEACH, FLORIDA NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS SEPTEMBER 30, 2025 Investments Investments for the City are reported at fair value (generally based on quoted market prices). Investments are pooled together for investment purposes while each individual fund and/or account is maintained on a daily transaction basis. Investment earnings are distributed in accordance with the participating funds’ relative equity. Allowable investments, with the appropriate minimum rating requirements, can consist of certificates of deposit, local government surplus trust fund, intergovernmental investment pool, SEC registered money market funds, United States government securities, repurchase agreements, banker’s acceptances, commercial paper, United States government agencies, federal instruments, securitized issues, corporate notes and state or local government taxable or tax-exempt debt. In addition, the Beal Memorial Cemetery Perpetual Care special revenue fund and the pension trust funds maintain separate investment accounts that are governed by separate investment policies. The Beal Memorial Cemetery investment policy allows for investments in domestic equities, international equities, real estate investment trusts, inflation hedges, fixed income securities, and cash equivalents within allowable ranges, ratings, and consideration of target asset allocations by asset class. The pension trust funds’ investment policies allow for investments in domestic and international equities, fixed income securities, mutual funds, exchange-traded funds, commingled funds, money market funds, and value add real estate within allowable ranges, ratings, and considerations of target asset allocations by range; however allowable asset classes, targets, ranges, and benchmarks vary by each individual policy. These investments are also reported at fair value. Receivables and Payables Interfund transactions are reflected as loans, services provided, reimbursements, or transfers. Loans between funds outstanding at the end of the fiscal year are referred to as either "due to other funds" or "due from other funds" (i.e., the current portion of interfund loans) or "advances" (i.e., the non-current portion of interfund loans). Any residual balances outstanding between governmental activities and business-type activities are reported in the government-wide financial statements as "internal balances." Advances between funds, as reported in the fund financial statements, are offset by a nonspendable fund balance account in applicable governmental funds to indicate that they are not available for appropriation and are not expendable and available financial resources. Services provided, deemed to be at market, or near market rates, are treated as revenues and expenditures/expenses. Reimbursements occur when one fund incurs a cost, charges the appropriate benefiting fund, and reduces its related cost as a reimbursement. All other interfund transactions are treated as transfers. Transfers between governmental or proprietary funds are netted as part of the reconciliation to the government-wide columnar presentation. All proprietary fund receivables are shown net of an allowance for uncollectible accounts. The allowance is computed by considering 100% of receivables in excess of 90 days, past trends on collections of accounts, and current year account write–offs. Inventory Inventory is valued at cost (first-in, first-out). The consumption method is used to account for inventory. Under the consumption method, inventory items are recorded as expenditures during the period the inventory is used. The General Fund inventory balance is considered nonspendable in the fund financial statements to indicate that it is not available for appropriation. 32  CITY OF FORT WALTON BEACH, FLORIDA NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS SEPTEMBER 30, 2025 Restricted Assets Certain resources in the following funds are restricted for specific purposes: in the General Fund for discretionary sales taxes, local option fuel taxes, and various contributions from donors for specified purposes; in the Utilities Fund for customer deposits, impact fees and debt service; in the Sanitation Fund for customer deposits. Capital Assets Capital assets, which include property, plant, equipment, and infrastructure assets (roads, bridges, curbs and sidewalks, drainage systems, lighting systems and similar items) are reported in the applicable governmental or business-type activities columns in the government–wide financial statements. Capital assets are defined by the City as assets with an initial cost more than the following: Land All Buildings and improvements / infrastructure $ 10,000 Improvements – other $ 10,000 Equipment, vehicles, computers $ 1,000 Library books All In the case of the initial capitalization of general infrastructure assets (i.e., those reported by governmental activities) the government chose to include all such items regardless of their acquisition date or amount. The government was able to estimate the historical cost for the initial reporting of these assets through various allowable