Government Finance Review articles from April 2009

Government Finance Review archives from April 2009

Public-sector accounting.(Perspectives)
April 1, 2009... Accounting, auditing, and financial reporting provide the informational infrastructure for state and local government finance. Like its physical counterpart, this informational infrastructure is easy to take for granted--at least until...

The economic stimulus bill: accessing the resources.(News & Numbers)
April 1, 2009... The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) provides funding to both state and local governments through a series of grants and loans distributed by various federal agencies, or in the case of local governments, sub-allocated by the...

NCL city fiscal conditions survey reflects economic woes.(News & Numbers)
April 1, 2009... A recent survey by the National League of Cities (NCL) shows how cities are faring under current economic conditions. According to the survey, conducted in December 2008 and January 2009, 83 percent of cities are making spending cuts for the...

Economic trends.(News & Numbers)
April 1, 2009... Many people are paying more attention to economic trends than they did before the credit meltdown. Financing the Future News: Long-Term Financial Planning Resources, Notices, and Events--an electronic newsletter from the GFOA's Research and...

Report addresses ways local governments can navigate the financial downturn.(News & Numbers)
April 1, 2009... The Alliance for Innovation and the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) released a white paper aimed at helping local governments successfully work through the current economic downturn. The report, Navigating the Fiscal...

Electronic budget cuts costs.(News & Numbers)
April 1, 2009... British Columbia made its 2009 budget primarily available electronically, a cost-effective choice that also supports the province's commitment to be carbon-neutral by 2010. Most recipients received the budget documents on CD, reducing the...

Governance initiative.(News & Numbers)
April 1, 2009... The Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation at John E Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University will focus on studying and disseminating solutions to real-world governance problems. The institute will endow new faculty...

Fund balance: new and improved.(Cover story)
April 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] There is probably no single item in a typical state or local government's financial statements that attracts more attention than fund balance. In February 2009, the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB)...

When leadership fails.
April 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] When the governing board of a governmental entity fails to carry out its oversight responsibilities, fraud or related problems can result. Most fraud is committed by basically honest people. However, when leadership...

The GASB turns 25: a retrospective.
April 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning." Winston Churchill, in a November 1942 speech The Governmental Accounting Standards Board...

Capital confusion: 12 misunderstandings about Accounting for Capital Assets.
April 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Many accounting and financial reporting issues affect some governments, but not others. Virtually all state and local governments, however, must confront the ongoing challenge of accounting for capital assets. To...

Identifying shortfalls: the importance of cash flow analysis in times of fiscal stress.
April 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Local governments face increasing challenges to fiscal sustainability, making an effective methodology for forecasting and monitoring cash flow more important than ever. Cash is critical for short-term operations. It...

Health-care cost containment strategies.(Best Practices)
April 1, 2009... High-quality health-care coverage has been a staple in the compensation of public sector employees for generations, and for many years, it was the justification for paying public employees less than their private-sector counterparts earned....

Moving from reporting performance information to using it: Prince George's County, Maryland: Prince George's County, Maryland, is overcoming the challenges inherent in using a performance management system to make informed budget and management decisions.([PM.sup.2] Connections: PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT & MANAGEMENT)
April 1, 2009... Strategic plans and performance measures make a difference only if managers use them to make decisions. Simply reporting strategic plans and performance measures may lead to accountability, but rarely results in using information for decision...

Improving employee productivity and efficiency.(Management & Careers)
April 1, 2009... Twenty years ago, the Dallas County Tax Office turned itself into a laboratory to study what would happen if quality management principles were applied to help employees meet the organization's goals. The office environment was transformed from...

Geographic information systems: pinpointing lost revenues.(Solutions)
April 1, 2009... The proliferation of information now available creates exciting opportunities as well as challenges for tax auditors. The proverbial "shoe box" of accounting records has been digitized and is recorded in ever-increasing detail. Solutions for...

President signs stimulus package.(Federal Focus)
April 1, 2009... President Obama signed the $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) (Public Law No. 111-5) into law on February 17, 2009. The goal of the legislation, according to the White House, is to "create jobs, jumpstart growth, and...

New guidance on special revenue and capital projects funds.(The Accounting Angle)
April 1, 2009... In February 2009, the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) issued GASB Statement No. 54,Fund Balance Reporting and Governmental Fund Type Definitions. The new GASB standard deals primarily with the components that should be used to...

Examining the increasing level of federal debt.
April 1, 2009... I.O.U.S.A : One Nation. Under Stress. In Debt Film directed by Patrick Creadon distributed by the Peter G. Peterson Foundation 2008, rated PG Book by Addison Wiggin and Kate Incontrerra Wiley 2008, 288...

Calendar.(Calendar)
April 1, 2009... [gfoa events] May Salt Lake City, Utah 4 Accounting for Pensions and Other Postemployment Benefits (OPEB) 4 Accounting for Capital Assets 5 Preparing a CAFR 4-5 Advanced...

The promise of the millennial generation.(Commentary)
April 1, 2009... Millennials may be problematic, but consider their potential for radically improving government. With good reason, Tom Brokaw coined the term "the greatest generation," in his book of the same name, to describe those who grew up during the...