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The City is served by Independent School District (ISD) #282 (St. Anthony), which has a 2015/2016 enrollment of approximately 1,871, operates one elementary school, a middle school and senior high in the City. In addition, a private school, St. Charles Borromeo, offers K-8 grade education with enrollment of approximately 300 students. The City operates as a statutory Council-Manager form of government. Policy-making and legislative authority are vested in the City Council consisting of one elected mayor and four council members. The City Council is responsible, among other things, for passing ordinances, adopting the budget, appointing committees, and hiring the City Manager. The City Manager is responsible for carrying out the policies and ordinances of the City Council, overseeing the day- to-day operations of the City, and appointing the heads of the various departments. The Council is elected on a non-partisan basis. Council members serve four-year staggered terms, with two council members elected every two years. The Mayor is elected to serve a four-year term. The City of St. Anthony provides a full range of services including administrative services; police protection; fire suppression and prevention; construction of capital improvements; reconstruction and maintenance of city streets and other infrastructure; distribution of water; sanitary sewer collection; storm water drainage; parks and recreational activities; forestry maintenance; and recycling. The St. Anthony Firefighters’ Relief Association is a separate legal entity, and accordingly is excluded from this report. The St. Anthony Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HRA), an entity legally separate from the City, is governed by a board which includes the City Council. Its sole purpose is to promote economic development within the City of St. Anthony. The HRA is a component unit of the City and its financial transactions have been included in these financial statements as a blended component unit. Additional information on both of these legally separate entities can be found in Note 1(A) & 7(B) in the notes to the financial statements. The annual budget serves as the foundation for the City of St. Anthony’s financial planning and control. All departments of the City of St. Anthony submit requests for appropriations to the City Manager in June of each year. The City Manager uses these requests as the starting point for developing the recommended budget. The City Manager then presents the recommended budget to the City Council for their review prior to the certification of the proposed levy to the County Auditors by September 15th. The City Council is required to hold public hearings on the proposed budget and to adopt a final budget by December 31, the close of the City of St. Anthony’s fiscal year. The appropriated budget is prepared for the General Fund by function (e.g., public safety), department (e.g., police), and object code (e.g., salaries). Transfers of appropriations between departments require the approval of the City Council. Budget-to-actual comparisons are provided on Statement 10 as required supplementary information to the basic financial statements for the governmental funds. Factors Affecting Financial Condition The information presented in the financial statements is perhaps best understood when it is considered from the broader perspective of the specific environment within which the City of St. Anthony operates. 4