Laserfiche WebLink
CITY OF ELK RIVER <br /> NOTES TO BASIC FINANCIAL STATEMENTS <br /> YEAR ENDING DECEMBER 31, 2016 <br /> NOTE 1 SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (CONTINUED) <br /> R. Long-Term Liabilities <br /> In the government-wide and proprietary fund financial statements, long-term debt and <br /> other long-term obligations are reported as liabilities. Bond premiums and discounts, if <br /> material, are amortized over the life of the bonds using the straight-line method. Bond <br /> issuance costs are expensed as incurred. <br /> In the governmental fund financial statements, long-term debt and other long-term <br /> obligations are not reported as liabilities. The face amount of debt issued is reported as <br /> other financing sources. Premiums or discounts on debt issuances are reported as other <br /> financing sources or uses, respectively. Issuance costs, whether or not withheld from the <br /> actual debt proceeds received, are reported as debt service expenditures. <br /> S. Compensated Absences <br /> It is the City's policy to permit employees to accumulate earned but unused vacation and <br /> sick pay benefits. Unused vacation can be accrued by the employees up to a maximum <br /> of 200 hours, the limit of which is determined by years of service. All vacation pay is <br /> accrued when incurred in the government-wide and proprietary fund financial <br /> statements. A liability for these amounts is reported in governmental funds only if they <br /> have matured, for example, as a result of employee resignations and retirements. In the <br /> event a liability is recorded in the governmental funds, the General fund would be used <br /> to liquidate the compensated absences payable. <br /> Employees can also accrue an unlimited amount of unused sick leave. Employees with <br /> two or more years of service are entitled to receive severance pay equal to 50% of <br /> unused sick leave, up to a maximum of 480 hours. The liability for severance pay is <br /> accounted for the same as accrued vacation pay. <br /> T. Fund Balance <br /> In the fund financial statements, fund balance is divided into five classifications based <br /> primarily on the extent to which the City is bound to observe constraints imposed upon <br /> the use of resources reported in governmental funds. These classifications are as <br /> follows: <br /> Nonspendable - consists of amounts that cannot be spent because it is not in spendable <br /> form, such as prepaid items. <br /> Restricted- consists of amounts related to externally imposed constraints established by <br /> creditors, grantors or contributors; or constraints imposed by state statutory provisions. <br /> Committed - consists of amounts that are constrained for specific purposes that are <br /> internally imposed by formal action (resolution) of the City Council. Those committed <br /> amounts cannot be used for any other purpose unless City Council removes or changes <br /> the specified use by taking the same type of action it employed to previously commit <br /> those amounts. <br /> (45) <br />