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City of Redwood City <br />Utility Users’ Tax Fund <br />Notes to Financial Statements <br />For the fiscal year ended June 30, 2017 <br /> <br /> <br />5 <br />1. SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES <br /> <br />A. Reporting Entity <br /> <br />All transactions of the Utility Users Tax and Communication Users Tax are reported in a special <br />revenue fund (Fund) of the City of Redwood City, California (City). The special revenue fund is <br />included as part of the General Fund in the basic financial statements of the City. The Fund is used to <br />account for the City’s revenues earned and expenditures incurred according to the Communication <br />Users’ Tax Ordinance of the City of Redwood City. The accompanying financial statements are for the <br />Utility Users Tax fund only and are not intended to fairly present the financial position of the City. <br /> <br />B. Basis of Accounting and Measurement Focus <br /> <br />The accompanying financial statements are prepared on the modified accrual basis of accounting. <br />Revenues are generally recorded when measurable and available, and expenditures are recorded when <br />the related liabilities are incurred. <br /> <br />The accounting and financial reporting treatment applied to a fund is determined by its measurement <br />focus. All governmental funds are accounted for using a current financial resources measurement focus, <br />wherein only current assets and current liabilities generally are included on the balance sheet. <br />Operating statements of governmental funds present increases (revenues and other financing sources) <br />and decreases (expenditures and other financing uses) in net current assets. <br /> <br />C. Fund Accounting <br /> <br />The operations of the Utility Users Tax Fund, which includes the Communications Users Tax, are <br />accounted for as part of the General Fund. Funds are separate accounting entities with a set of self- <br />balancing accounts which comprise their assets, liabilities, fund equity, revenues, and expenditures. <br /> <br /> <br />2. UTILITY USERS’ TAX AND COMMUNICATIONS USERS’ TAX <br /> <br />A utility users' tax is imposed upon every person in the City using electricity and natural gas which is <br />transported and delivered through a pipeline distribution system. The tax rate for natural gas and <br />electricity is 5%. A communications users’ tax is imposed upon every person in the City using <br />telecommunication services and cable television services. The tax rate for communications users’ tax is <br />4%. There is also a 3.5% tax on prepaid wireless phones, in accordance with AB1717, effective January 1, <br />2016, which is used for low and moderate income housing. All other funds are used for capital <br />improvement and administrative expenditures. <br /> <br /> <br />6.1.C. - Page 33