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the investments to maturity and don't realize any gains or losses. Interest income is the <br />revenue source we budget, but yet knowing prices of bonds are always changing. <br />The finance staff ensures the city is sufficiently liquid by continually updating our forecast on <br />the anticipated cash flow needs over the next five-year time horizon. We also build in a <br />reserve balance in case of unexpected expenditures; these funds are maintained in money <br />market accounts. We anticipate we will have two large tax settlements each year, along with <br />the regularly -scheduled debt service payments. <br />Over the past couple of years, the search for quality has been the goal. We have avoided <br />commercial paper for close to three years due to concerns over the credit quality issues. In <br />addition, for high quality commercial paper, the yield is several basis points below a short- <br />term CD. The Treasury yield curve has decreased in all levels beyond the 3 -month term <br />from March 31, 2016. In the second quarter, yields on Treasuries fell to record lows and few <br />signs point to a reversal anytime soon. <br />The city has to weigh the opportunity cost to invest in longer-term investments or ride the <br />yield curve and reinvest at shorter maturity intervals. Most recent purchases have been <br />credit quality municipals (Mum's) and certificates of deposits (CDs). Muni's and CDs have <br />been several basis points over agencies with call features. Investing in shorter -term <br />investments has presented far fewer options since the decline in the commercial paper <br />market. Three-month notes are yielding 0.26% and the 10 -year notes are 1.49%. See the <br />graphical illustration below: <br />3.00% <br />2.50% <br />2.00% <br />1.50% <br />1.00% <br />0.50% <br />0.00% <br />Treasury Yield Curve <br />1 mo 3 mo 6 mo 1 yr 2 yr 3 yr 5 yr 7 yr 10 yr 20 yr 30 yr <br />3/31/16 <br />6/30/16 <br />Cities generally use a short -horizon benchmark such as the two-year Treasury Bill (6/30 — <br />0.58%, with a decrease from 0.78% on 3/31) or some similar measure. Our current <br />portfolio yield is roughly 1.78% which is several basis points over the treasury yield <br />benchmark. This is calculated by taking the yield times the current value for each investment <br />and dividing the resulting amount by the total portfolio value. As investments purchased in <br />earlier years mature, we will be able to replace them and lock into some longer term interest <br />rates, but they may have to be reinvested at lower interest rates as market conditions change. <br />