预算与财务

Q1. 什么报告什么时候交?

Q2. Why is it important to assign accounting functions to separate employees?

Q3. What if my city staff is too small to segregate duties?

Q4. 什么是债券?

Q5. 什么是基金?

Q6. Where can I learn about the budgeting process and requirements?

Q7. How can the city avoid fraudulent payments to employees or vendors? 

问1:什么时候交报告?

A1: It’s smart to sit down with the Calendar of Important Dates and your own calendar and make sure you know what’s on the horizon! This calendar is updated by League staff each year to reflect state and federal deadlines for elections, 金融, 和更多的.

View the Calendar of Important Dates for reporting deadlines

Q2: Why is it important to assign accounting functions to separate employees?

A2: When employee responsibilities are arranged so that the work of one employee is checked by another, 这就是所谓的“职责隔离”.” Ideally, no single official or employee should be able to:

1. 授权交易;
2. Record the transaction in the entity’s books; and
3. Obtain custody of the item resulting from the transaction.

Examples of incompatible duties that should be performed by separate individuals include:

• Receipting collections, posting collections to registers, and making bank deposits.
• Signing checks and reconciling the bank accounts.

Q3: What if my city staff is too small to segregate duties?

A3: When the segregation of accounting functions is not possible due to staff size, city administration should constantly be aware of this condition. The concentration of duties and responsibilities in a single individual is not desirable from an accounting point of view. Additional internal control policies and procedures should be used to compensate for the lack of segregated duties.

Additional policies and procedures could include:

• A formal, numbered receipt book should be used for all receipts.
• Minutes should include the claim number of bills approved for payment.
• Invoices should be canceled to ensure they are not paid twice.
• Town supervisors or city council members should determine that reports are submitted promptly, and are in agreement with cash balances and grant expenditures.
• The city council should adopt a formal conflicts of interest policy.

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问题4:什么是债券?

A4: 有两种化学键. When you are borrowing money, the city issues a bond. 这是贷款的抵押品. When you are investing city funds you may purchase a bond. 这是一项投资.

问题5:什么是基金?

A5: A fund is a sum of money set aside for a specific purpose. 城市有很多基金. Think of the fund as a way to separate the money coming in and going out for any service the city provides. Although all of the money coming into the city can be kept in one bank account and invoices may all be paid from one bank account, segregating the transactions by fund helps the city keep track of the financial performance of particular activities. To dig deeper into the different kinds of funds, see the League’s 明尼苏达州城市手册, Chapter 25 Financial Reports, Accounting and Auditing.

Q6: Where can I learn about the budgeting process and requirements?

A6: We’ve got a MemberLearn online learning course for that! This free course for LMC members is specifically designed for small cities and will give you an overview of the budgeting process including publication requirements and dates, 县和州官员的可交付成果, and best practices for communicating the budget to the council and the public. Access the MemberLearn course “金融: The Budgeting Process”

Q7: How can the city avoid fraudulent payments to employees and vendors?

A7: There are a few action steps to keep electronic transfers and payments safe:

• Increase awareness of the risk of phishing emails. Occasionally remind your vendors and staff that your 金融 and HR departments will never ask for any financial or personal information via email.
• 申请电子付款. If you receive an email request to change or set up an electronic payment you should get verbal confirmation of the request. Call the requestor using the contact information on file. You may need to work with other city staff to get the contact information. It is important to not use the contact information provided in the request.
• 直接存款变更. When changing banking information for an employee’s direct deposit of payroll always verbally confirm the change with the employee. A a signed form alone is not sufficient documentation to make the changes.

联盟提供了一个 模型的政策 城市可以采用的方法. This policy includes several actions that can reduce the city’s chances of becoming a victim of fraud.

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