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City of Elk River <br />March 15, 2001 <br />Page Twelve <br />Government -wide Financial Statements <br />The government -wide financial statements are (1) a statement of net assets and (2) a statement of activities. The statement of net <br />assets presents the government's financial position at a point in time (like a balance sheet does); the statement of activities <br />presents its activities during a period (like an operating statement does). These statements present highly aggregated information <br />for the overall government; they do not display individual funds or fund types. They also present financial information in <br />separate rows and columns for the (1) primary government's aggregate governmental activities, (2) primary government's <br />aggregate business -type activities, (3) total primary government, and (4) discretely presented component units. <br />Capital Assets <br />Capital assets are tangible and intangible assets that are used in operations that have initial useful lives longer than one year. <br />They include land and improvements, easements, buildings and improvements, equipment, and works of art and historical <br />treasures. Capital assets also include infrastructure assets — normally stationary capital assets that can be preserved for <br />significantly greater number of years than most capital assets. Infrastructure assets include roads, bridges and tunnels; water, <br />sewer and drainage systems; dams; lighting systems; and buildings that are an ancillary part of a network of infrastructure assets. <br />Capital assets are reported in the statement of net assets at historical cost (or estimated fair value, if donated) and net of <br />accumulated depreciation. They are depreciated in the statement of activities over their estimated useful lives. <br />Infrastructure Assets <br />GASB Statement No. 34 applies prospectively to all general infrastructure assets beginning at the effective dates of the Statement <br />(or earlier, if the statement is implemented earlier). Governments are also encouraged to apply the Statement retroactively to all <br />existing major general infrastructure assets at that time. However, phase 1,2 governments need not retroactively report those <br />assets until calendar year 2006, 2007 — four years after their required implementation of Statement No. 34. Phase 3 governments <br />are encouraged but not required to report major general infrastructure assets retroactively. <br />If there are inadequate records of the actual historical cost of existing general infrastructure assets, governments can estimate <br />historical cost. They also may limit retroactive application to only those major general infrastructure assets that were acquired or <br />significantly reconstructed, or that received significant improvements, in fiscal years ending after June 30, 1980. <br />The City has already begun work on some of the implementation specifics and will be working on infrastructure records this <br />summer. The finance department has done a good job in identifying what is needed for implementation and then completing <br />projects to achieve it. This will ensure that the City will be ready for full implementation upon the deadline if not before. <br />Status of Prior Year Recommendations <br />Prior Year Comment <br />Community Recreation Billing <br />Currently, the community recreation program that the City participates in does not provide any support for their <br />reimbursement requests. The City only receives a spreadsheet with the reimbursement amount on it. Since this <br />program is operated outside of the City offices, it would be appropriate to require more documentation with their <br />requests for payment. <br />Current Status <br />This item has been corrected and the City is receiving adequate documentation. <br />