Government Finance Review articles from February 1998

Government Finance Review archives from February 1998

Taking charge of technology.
February 1, 1998... GFOA members are no strangers to the revolution in technology that has profoundly affected all aspects of government finance in recent years. Articles on various aspects of technology as they apply to the public sector have frequently appeared in...

What users think of the new reporting model for governments: The results of the GASB's focus group sessions. (Governmental Accounting Standards Board)
February 1, 1998... The GASB gave significant weight to the opinions of users who participated, and now more users respond in writing to GASB proposals. How many times has it been said, "Users never read governmental financial reports?" Many responses to...

A health plan report card for informed choice of insurance.
February 1, 1998... Member satisfaction surveys assess the performance of each of the 26 health care plans offered to participants of the State of Wisconsin's Group Health Insurance Program. Each year the Government Finance Officers Association bestows its...

Simple process, fast service for rapid retirement.
February 1, 1998... The previously time-consuming and confusing process of retirement has been transformed by the Teachers' Retirement System of Illinois through a short, hassle-free telephone call with a benefits counselor. Each year the Government Finance...

Capital programming for results: A framework for federal government agencies.
February 1, 1998... Drawing on valuable lessons from state and local governments, the federal government has developed a capital programming process that connects planning, budgeting, procurement, and management of a capital asset to improve the way agencies manage...

Avoiding securities law liability in conduit bond offerings.
February 1, 1998... Antifraud provisions of law apply to offerings of state and local government securities that are issued by or on behalf of a governmental entity for a private business, health, or educational enterprise. The federal securities laws' antifraud...

State and local government retirement systems in strong financial condition.
February 1, 1998... A 1997 survey of 261 state and local government retirement systems reports that the average percentage of benefits earned increased only marginally from 1994 to 1996, plan funding ratios continued their growth trend, and investments showed...

Mexico: the economic emergence of the United States' neighbor to the south.
February 1, 1998... Mexico's Constitution does not reserve particular functions exclusively for the states; it does, however, specify services for which municipalities are primarily responsible. Author's note: The December 1997 issue of Government Finance Review...

Reinventing the government in Guanajuato, Mexico: An interview with Governor Vicente Fox Quesada.(Interview)
February 1, 1998... After two and a half years of his administration, Governor of the State of Guanajuato Vicente Fox Quesada reviews some of the most important information technology (IT) implementations carried out in the state in this interview with Gobierno...

State and local government cyber-budgeting.
February 1, 1998... In the few years since the World Wide Web (WWW or the Web) has become popular, many state and local governments have created a presence there. By spring of 1997, all states and 48.3 percent of large cities (those with populations of 100,000 or...

Recent GASB pronouncements.(Governmental Accounting Standards Board)
February 1, 1998... The Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) recently released final pronouncements on deferred compensation, property tax revenue recognition, and the appropriate categorization of custodial credit risk in situations involving bank holding...

GFOA joins effort to improve bondholder communications. (Government Finance Officers Association)
February 1, 1998... Since 1994, the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) and other organizations have been studying problems associated with the transmission of information notices to holders of municipal securities.(1) The existence of problems came to...

The Power of IT: Maximizing Your Technology Investment.
February 1, 1998... Reviewed by Dale Neubert, director of finance, Howard County, Maryland, and member of GFOA's Committee on Retirement and Benefits Administration and also GFOA's Special Task Force on Technology. It is the acronym for information technology and...

Transforming the Bottom Line: Managing Performance with the Real Numbers.
February 1, 1998... Reviewed by Christopher Morrill, research and budget director, City of Savannah, Georgia, and member of GFOA's Committee on Governmental Budgeting and Management. Finance professionals have been slow to get on the boat to quality management....

Post-Suburbia: Government and Politics in the Edge Cities.
February 1, 1998... Reviewed by GFOA member Sheryl D. Bailey, Ph.D., director of financial policy, City of Hampton, Virginia. Jon Teaford's thoroughly researched book traces the transformation of governmental institutions over the course of the suburban movement...