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Fund Balance Policy Purpose: It is important to establish sound financial management policies to ensure financial stability of the City of St. Anthony for the benefit of residents and businesses. Fund balance reserves are an important component in ensuring the overall financial health of a community, by giving the City sufficient funds to meet contingency and cash-flow timing needs. In establishing an appropriate fund balance, the City needs to consider the demands of cash flow, need for emergency reserves, ability to manage fluctuations of major revenue sources, credit rating and long-term fiscal health. General Fund Policy: •The City will maintain an unassigned General fund balance (minimum fund balance) in the range of 35-50% of subsequent year’s budgeted operating expenditures (net of expenditures for police services and financial services to other organizations ) to meet contingency and cash-flow timing needs; however, this need could fluctuate with each year’s budget objectives. •Annual proposed General fund budgets shall include this benchmark policy. Council shall review the amounts in fund balance in conjunction with the annual final budget approval, and make adjustments as necessary to meet expected cash-flow needs In the event that a balanced budget has beginning minimum fund balance in excess of 42.5%, the excess balance may be transferred to Capital or Special revenue funds. •In the event the unassigned General fund balance will be calculated to be less than the minimum requirement at the completion of any fiscal year, the City shall plan to adjust budget resources in the subsequent fiscal years to bring the fund balance into compliance with this policy. •The City Council may also consider increasing the minimum fund balance in situation a balanced budget has beginning minimum fund balance in excess of 50%. •Appropriation from the minimum fund balance shall require the approval of the City Council and shall be used only for non-recurring expenditures, unforeseen emergencies or immediate capital needs that cannot be accommodated through current year savings. Replenishment recommendations will accompany the decision to utilize fund balance. •At the discretion of the City Council, fund balance may be committed for specific purposes by resolution designating the specific use of fund balance and the amount. The resolution would need to be approved no later than the close of the reporting period and will remain binding unless removed in the same manner. Deleted: 30-35% Deleted: , Deleted: cities Deleted: along with Fire relief state aid passed through to SAFRA Deleted: . Deleted: appropriating (for authorized purposes) year-end fund Deleted: balance in excess of the policy level or Deleted: An Deleted: example of preferred use of excess fund balance would be for one time expenditures, such as capital expenditures, which do not result in recurring operating costs. 14