AgdaPkt 2005-01-24 - Laserfiche WebLink

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STATEMENT OF NET ASSETS AND STATEMENT OF ACTIVITIES The Statement of Net Assets and the Statement of Activities are entirely new statements required by Governmental Accounting Standards Board Statement No. 34. Their purpose is to summarize the entire City's financial activities and financial position. They are prepared on the same basis as is used by most businesses, which means they include all the City's assets and all its liabilities, as well as all its revenues and expenses. This is known as the full accrual basis-the effect of all the City's transactions is taken into account, regardless of whether or when cash changes hands, but all material internal transactions between City funds have been eliminated. The Statement of Net Assets reports the difference between the City's total assets and the City's total liabilities, including all the City's capital assets and all its long-term debt. The Statement of Net Assets presents similar information to the old balance sheet format, but presents it in a way that focuses the reader on the composition of the City's net assets, by subtracting total liabilities from total assets. The Statement of Net Assets summarizes the financial position of the City's governmental activities in a single column, and the financial position of all City business-type activities in a single column; these columns are followed by a total column that presents the financial position of the entire City. The City's governmental activities include the activities of its general fund, along with all its special revenue, capital projects and debt service funds. Since the City's internal service funds service these funds, their activities are consolidated with governmental activities, after eliminating inter-fund transactions and balances. The City's business-type activities include all its enterprise fund activities. The Statement of Activities reports increases and decreases in the City's net assets. It is also prepared on the full accrual basis, which means it includes all the City's revenues and all its expenses, regardless of when cash changes hands. This differs from the "modified accrual" basis used in the fund financial statements, which reflect only current assets, current liabilities, available revenues and measurable expenditures. The format of the Statement of Activities differs considerably from those used in the past. It presents the City's expenses first, listed by program, and follows these with the expenses of its business-type activities. Program revenues-that is, revenues which are generated directly by these programs-are then deducted from program expenses to arrive at the net expense of each governmental and business-type program. The City's general revenues are then listed in the governmental activities or business-type activities column, as appropriate, and the Change in Net Assets is computed and reconciled with the Statement of Net Assets. Both these statements include the financial activities of the City and the Redevelopment Agency of the City of Redwood City, which is legally separate but is a component unit of the City because it is controlled by the City, which is financially accountable for the Agency's activities. These new financial statements along with the fund financial statements and footnotes are called Basic Financial Statements, the term General Purpose Financial Statement is no longer used. 13