Fort Walton Beach — Comprehensive Annual Financial Report September 30, 2013 — reading text

The government-wide financial statements are reported using the economic resources measurement focus and the accrual basis of accounting, as are the proprietary fund and fiduciary fund financial statements. Revenues are recorded when earned and expenses are recorded when a liability is incurred, regardless of the timing of related cash flows. Pension plans recognize revenue when contributions are due as there is a statutory requirement to make the contribution. Property taxes are recorded as revenues in the year for which they are levied. Grants and similar items are recognized as revenue as soon as all eligibility requirements imposed by the provider have been met. Governmental fund financial statements are reported using the current financial resources measurement focus and the modified accrual basis of accounting. Revenues are recognized as soon as they are both measurable and available. Revenues are considered to be available when they are collectible within the current period or soon enough thereafter to pay liabilities of the current period. For this purpose, the City considers revenues to be available if they are collected within 6 months of the end of the current fiscal period, except for property taxes, for which the period is 60 days. Expenditures generally are recorded when a liability is incurred, as under accrual accounting. However, debt service expenditures, as well as expenditures related to compensated absences and claims and judgments, are recorded only when payment is due. Franchise fees, licenses, and interest associated with the current fiscal period are all considered to be susceptible to accrual and so have been recognized as revenues of the current fiscal period. Only the portion of special assessments receivable within the current fiscal period is considered to be susceptible to accrual as revenue of the current period. Sales taxes, gasoline taxes, and other intergovernmental revenues collected and held by the state at year-end on behalf of the City, are also recognized as revenue. All other revenue items are considered to be measurable and available only when cash is received by the government. 31  City of Fort Walton Beach, Florida NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS September 30, 2013 NOTE 1 - SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (CONTINUED) C. Measurement Focus and Basis of Accounting (Continued) The Okaloosa County Tax Collector bills and collects property taxes for the City in accordance with the laws of the State of Florida. Property taxes attach as an enforceable lien on property as of the date of assessment and remain in effect until discharge by payment. Taxes are payable when levied (on November 1, or as soon thereafter as the assessment roll becomes available to the Tax Collector). The following is the current property tax calendar: Lien Date January 1, 2013 Levy Date November 1, 2013 Due Date November 1, 2013 Delinquent Date April 1, 2014 Discounts of 1% for each month taxes are paid prior to March 2014 are granted. Revenue recognition criteria for property taxes under the GASB requires that property taxes expected to be collected within 60 days of the current period be accrued. No accrual has been made for 2013 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. D. 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. As a general rule, 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. 32  City of Fort Walton Beach, Florida NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS September 30, 2013 NOTE 1 - SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (CONTINUED) D. Basis of Presentation (Continued) 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 fee 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. 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 Fund - The community redevelopment fund is the operating fund of the Fort Walton Beach Community Redevelopment Agency (the "Agency"). It is used to account for the activities of the Agency. 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. Golf Fund - Accounts for the operations and maintenance of the City-owned golf courses. 33  City of Fort Walton Beach, Florida NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS September 30, 2013 NOTE 1 - SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (CONTINUED) D. Basis of Presentation (Continued) 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 funds: 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. E. Assets, Liabilities, and Net Position or Equity Cash and Cash Equivalents The City considers all highly liquid investments (including restricted assets) with a maturity of 90 days or less when purchased, and investments with the State Board of Administration (SBA), to be cash equivalents. Additionally, each fund's equity in the City's investment pool (see Note 3) is considered to be cash equivalent since the funds can deposit or effectively withdraw cash at any time without prior notice or penalty. Deposits and Investments Section 218.415, Florida Statutes, requires the investment of surplus public funds and prescribes the instruments in which those investments are authorized, specifically the State of Florida Local Government Surplus Funds Trust Fund, direct obligations of the United States Government or other obligations unconditionally guaranteed by the United States Government, collateralized interest-bearing time deposits or savings accounts in state or federal banks or savings and loan associations, debt securities of the Federal Farm Credit Banks, the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation, the Federal Home Loan Bank, the Government National Mortgage Association, the Federal National Mortgage Association, and securities of or other interest in certain investment companies or investment trusts, the portfolio of which is limited to United States Government obligations or repurchase agreements fully collateralized by such obligations. The City adheres strictly to the provisions of those cited Statutes, as well as with Chapter 280, Florida Statutes, which requires the City to maintain deposits only with "Qualified Public Depositories." The City maintains a cash and investment pool available for use by all funds. Earnings from such investments are allocated to the respective funds based on applicable cash participation by each fund. 34  City of Fort Walton Beach, Florida NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS September 30, 2013 NOTE 1 - SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (CONTINUED) E. Assets, Liabilities, and Net Position or Equity (Continued) Deposits and Investments