AgdaPkt 2019-12-16 Joint SA PFA - Laserfiche WebLink

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6.A. - Page 16 of 191 REPORTING ENTITY AND ITS SERVICES Redwood City is a San Francisco Bay Area community located in the heart of Silicon Valley. With a population of over 86,000, Redwood City is the third largest city within the County of San Mateo. The City of Redwood City was incorporated in 1867 and became a Charter City in 1929. It operates under a council-manager form of government and is a full service City, providing a range of services that include police and fire protection, recreation and parks, libraries, street maintenance and construction, infrastructure improvements, planning and zoning, water delivery, port facilities, and storm drains. Although the City maintains sewer lines and pump stations, the sewer plant and treatment services are provided by the Silicon Valley Clean Water Authority (formerly the South Bayside System Authority), a joint powers authority of which Redwood City is an equity holder. The financial reporting entity includes all funds of the primary government (i.e. the City of Redwood City) as well as its component units. The City Council serves in separate session as the governing bodies of the Redwood City Facilities and Infrastructure Authority, and the Public Financing Authority, although these agencies are legal entities separate from the City. Debt service paid during the fiscal year is presented in the debt service fund. Under the City Charter, the City Council appoints the Board of Port Commissioners to oversee the operations of the Port of Redwood City, which is considered a department of the City of Redwood City. The Port of Redwood City is an enterprise activity and is presented as an enterprise fund. Financial information for separate legal entities related to the City, including the Redwood City Facilities and Infrastructure Authority, Redwood City Public Financing Authority, and Successor Agency to the Redevelopment Agency of Redwood City, is blended in the City's financial statements in accordance with Governmental Accounting Standards Board Statement No. 14. FINANCIAL INFORMATION Accounting System and Budgetary Control The City's accounting records for governmental operations are maintained on a modified accrual basis, with the revenues being recorded when both measurable and available, and expenditures being recorded when the services or goods are received and the liabilities are incurred. Accounting records for the City's enterprise operations are maintained on the accrual basis. In developing and modifying the City's accounting system, consideration is given to the adequacy of internal accounting controls. Internal accounting controls are designed to provide reasonable, but not absolute, assurance regarding 1) the safeguarding of assets against loss from unauthorized use or disposition, and 2) the reliability of financial records for preparing financial statements and maintaining accountability for assets. Because the cost of internal controls should not outweigh their benefits, the City's controls have been designed to provide reasonable, rather than absolute, assurance that the financial statements will be free from material misstatement. The concept of reasonable assurance recognizes that the evaluation of costs and benefits requires estimates and judgments by management. Within this framework, we believe that the City's internal accounting controls adequately safeguard assets and provide reasonable assurance of proper recording of financial transactions. As demonstrated by the statements and schedules included in the financial section of this report, the City of Redwood City continues to meet its responsibility for sound financial management. Beginning with the financial statements for FY 2014-15, the City, along with other governmental agencies, was required to implement a new accounting standard, Governmental Accounting Standards Board Statement No. 68 (GASB 68). GASB 68 required all governmental agencies to record the unfunded pension liability on their balance sheet (i.e. Statement of Net Position). Detailed information regarding the City's pension liability is described in Note 9. 23