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Resolution No. 2022-28 Replenishing Financial Reserves - Approved 110822Page 1 of 9 RESOLUTION NO. 2022-28 A RESOLUTION of the City of Bainbridge Island, Washington, adding a new subsection to Section 6 of the City’s Financial and Budget Policies related to replenishing General Fund reserves. WHEREAS, the City Council (“Council”) is responsible for setting financial and budget policies for the City of Bainbridge Island (“City”); and WHEREAS, state law, including Chapter 35A.33 RCW, provides guidance for budgets in code cities; and WHEREAS, Chapter 35A.34 RCW authorizes cities to establish biennial budgets under which authorization, and the authorization of the Bainbridge Island Municipal Code (“BIMC”), including Chapter 2.82 BIMC, the City prepares a biennial budget with a mid-biennial review; and WHEREAS, in the past, the Council has approved policies and passed resolutions related to financial and budget policies that continue to guide City financial practices including, but not limited to: Resolution No. 1993-52, as adopted and as amended through the passage of Resolution No. 2021-19, which establishes investment policies; Resolution No. 2008-01, which establishes an Emergency Rainy Day Reserve Fund and a Contingency Reserve within the General Fund; Resolution No. 2008-14, which establishes debt management policies; Resolution No. 2010-35, which set targets for General Fund reserves; Resolution No. 2013-13, which provides that funds from the City’s utilities shall not be expended for general governmental services; Resolution No. 2014-17, which sets a minimum fund balance policy for the General Fund; Resolution No. 2016-20 adopting a Municipal Securities Disclosure Policy, which establishes public disclosure rules for City-issued municipal securities; Resolution No. 2016-18, which establishes procedures for the surplus and sale of City real property; Resolution No. 2016- 19, updating the consolidated Financial Policies; Resolution No. 2018-07 and Resolution No. 2020-08, establishing the consolidated Financial Policies; Resolution No. 2020-09, updating the City Debt Policy; and Resolution No. 2020-11, establishing the Equipment Rental and Revolving Fund; and WHEREAS, the City Administration (“Administration”) requested, as part of the 2023- 2024 biennial budget process, that the Council update the Financial and Budget Policies that were adopted by the Council previously; and WHEREAS, the Council last updated the Financial and Budget Policies through Resolution No. 2022-07; and WHEREAS, the Council and the Administration wish to reaffirm General Fund reserve levels as described in Section 6 of the Financial and Budget Policies (see Exhibit A of this resolution) and establish mitigation policies to be administered by the Administration and to guide Council action related to situations in which General Fund reserves fall below policy levels; and Page 2 of 9 WHEREAS, Section 6 of the Financial and Budget Policies defines the minimum levels as $1 million for emergency reserves and 25% of ongoing revenues in the General Fund; and WHEREAS, 25% of ongoing revenues in the General Fund is calculated as $5,391,350 in 2023 and $5,552,100 in 2024. NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF BAINBRIDGE ISLAND DO RESOLVE AS FOLLOWS: Section 1. The updates to the Financial and Budget Policies that are shown in Exhibit A, which is attached hereto and incorporated herein by this reference, are hereby adopted. More specifically, the updates adopted by this resolution create a new subsection under Section 6 (Reserves) that is entitled, “Replenishment of Reserves.” PASSED by the City Council this 8th day of November 2022. APPROVED by the Mayor this 8th day of November 2022. Joe Deets, Mayor ATTEST/AUTHENTICATE: Christine Brown, MMC, City Clerk FILED WITH THE CITY CLERK: November 3, 2022 PASSED BY THE CITY COUNCIL: November 8, 2022 RESOLUTION NO.: 2022-28 Attachment: Exhibit A, Financial and Budget Policies Page 3 of 9 Exhibit A FINANCIAL AND BUDGET POLICIES Section 1. PURPOSE The primary purpose of financial and budget policies is to provide guidelines for the City Council and staff to use in making financial decisions that ensure core services are maintained and the Council’s vision for the community is achieved. The financial and budget policies guide the City to be able to withstand local and regional economic variations, to adjust to changes in service requirements, and to respond to other changes as they affect the community. It is the policy of the City to maintain an excellent credit rating and assure taxpayers that the City of Bainbridge Island is maintained in sound financial condition. SECTION 2. OPERATING BUDGET POLICIES The biennial budget is the City’s comprehensive two-year financial plan, which supports the City’s approved programs and services. Biennial budgets should provide for design, construction, maintenance and replacement of the City’s capital assets and equipment consistent with the Capital Facilities Plan including the related cost for operating new assets. The City will maintain all its assets such that it protects the City’s capital investment, preserves public safety, and minimizes future maintenance and replacement costs. All general government current operating expenditures will be paid from current revenues and cash carried over from prior years. The City shall adopt a balanced budget. The City defines a balanced budget as one in which current biennium budgeted revenues in addition to fund balances are equal to or greater than current biennium budgeted expenditures. In addition, the City’s budget shall maintain recurring expenditures for each fund at a level less than recurring revenues for that fund. Reports on revenues and expenditures shall be prepared monthly and provided to the Council. Mid-year and annual reports will also be prepared and provided. These reports will also be posted to the City’s website or reporting portal. Page 4 of 9 The City shall consider its financial capacity when making budget decisions. Staff shall deliver to Council a ten-year financial capacity analysis as part of the biennial budget process. For each financial capacity analysis, the financial assumptions shall be reasonable and shall take into account an appropriately chosen set of inflation factors and an appropriate set of economic projections. The Administration’s chosen assumptions for revenues, expenditure inflation factors and economic measures shall be disclosed to the Council. SECTION 3. REVENUES The City will strive to maintain a diverse and stable revenue stream to protect against short-run volatility of any single revenue source. Because revenues, especially those of the General Fund and other tax-supported funds, are sensitive to economic changes, the City will use a conservative approach to revenue forecasting. Departmental revenues of the tax-supported funds shall be considered unrestricted revenue of the City – subject to any applicable legal restriction, and subject to any applicable provision of the financial Policies, that may apply to a particular revenue source. Revenues from the Commercial Parking Tax shall be treated as revenues of the Street Fund. Real Estate Excise Tax revenue shall be first applied to current capital debt service and then, to the extent available, to other eligible expenses. The City shall maintain a structure for all fees and charges where the beneficiary of the service pays the cost of that service except to the extent that the Council has determined that provision of the specific service in question provides a general public benefit. No less than once every three years, Building and Development Services (B&DS) rates shall be reviewed, with a goal of full cost recovery for the B&DS Fund. The City will maintain water, sewer and storm water utility rates adequate to ensure that each of these three utility funds is fully self-supporting. Additionally, for analysis and rate modeling purposes, the proposed rates shall take into account debt service coverage commitments, if applicable. The capacity to support identified utility reserves will also be taken into account. SECTION 4. EXPENDITURES The City budget will provide for a sustainable level of service to meet the City’s identified results. Page 5 of 9 The City will maintain expenditure categories according to state statute and administrative regulation. Capital expenditures shall meet the requirements of generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). The City shall use major one-time revenue to fund capital improvements, debt reductions, or reserves. The use of one-time revenues to fund operating expenditures is strongly discouraged. The Council shall review the Administration’s recommended plan for the allocation of City costs to various funds as part of the biennial budget process. As a general rule, when an expenditure is incurred for which both restricted and unrestricted fund balance is available, the City will consider the more restricted amounts to have been spent first. On a periodic basis, the Administration shall compare the cash compensation and the value of benefits for City employee positions to the compensation and benefit levels to a set of comparable employers, to provide data for potential compensation and benefit policies which may be adopted by the Council. SECTION 5. CAPITAL The Capital Facilities Goals and Policies that are stated in the City’s Comprehensive Plan, as amended from time to time, are hereby included in full in the Financial Policies. The Capital Improvement Plan and the City operating budget will be reviewed at the same time to ensure that capital and operating needs are balanced with each other and support overall City goals. The City shall develop a six-year plan for capital improvements and update it at least biennially. The City will identify the estimated costs and proposed funding sources for each capital project proposal before it is submitted to Council for approval. The City will use intergovernmental assistance and outside resources whenever possible. In the event that a grant, or other type of intergovernmental assistance, is identified as a funding source for a project and the outside funding is not secured, the City will reconsider the financial viability of that project at that time. Each individual project included in the capital improvement plan (CIP) shall have a budget with identified contributions by fund. Each fund amount shall be distinct and cannot be transferred without amending the CIP. Reporting will be presented at the project and fund level. Page 6 of 9 When a capital project is complete and has been capitalized in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles, any remaining project budget appropriation authority shall lapse, and all remaining funds shall return to their original source. SECTION 6. RESERVES Reserve funds enable the City to deal with unforeseen emergencies and changes in economic conditions. General Fund Reserves Emergency Reserve: The City shall maintain an Emergency Reserve with a budgetary target amount of $1.0 million. These funds shall be used only to pay for emergencies that cannot reasonably be accommodated by current budget appropriations. These funds may be appropriated only by a vote of not less than five (5) members of the City Council or the unanimous vote of a legal quorum. It is the Council’s policy that if funds are spent from the Emergency Reserve, it should be replenished as resources become available. General Fund Minimum Fund Balance. The City shall maintain a minimum fund balance of 25% of ongoing revenues in the General Fund. The General Fund minimum fund balance shall mean the dollar amount of unencumbered fund balance, excluding any amounts held in reserves or otherwise committed funds. This fund balance is intended to provide stability in the event of unexpected changes to revenues or expenses. Replenishment of Reserves. If the General Fund balance falls below policy reserves as defined above, the City Manager shall prepare and present to the City Council a recommended plan to replenish the reserves. The City Council shall review and adopt a replenishment plan within 12 months after the policy reserve levels first fall below the minimum levels. Once adopted, the replenishment plan’s progress will be reviewed periodically with the City Council but no less than every calendar year until such time as the reserves are replenished to or above the target levels described above. Utility Fund Reserves Capital Contingency Reserve. Each utility fund shall maintain a separate capital contingency reserve. Each reserve shall have a targeted level of at least one percent (1%) of the utility system’s capital assets at net book value. The primary purpose of the reserve is to provide a ready source of cash in case of an emergency, should a major piece of equipment or a portion of the utility’s infrastructure fail unexpectedly. Operating Reserve – Water and Sewer Funds. These reserves shall have a targeted level as of each year-end of at least sixty (60) days’ operating expenses. The primary purpose of the reserve Page 7 of 9 is to provide cash for operations in case of seasonal variations in revenue or expenses, or to support operations in a year in which revenues are abnormally low. Operating Reserve – Storm and Surface Water Management Fund. This reserve shall have a targeted level as of June 30 and December 31 of at least 90 days’ operating expenses. The primary purpose of the year-end reserve is to provide cash for operations during the period between the payment of the fees, which occurs in two large payments in April and October. Restricted Debt Reserve. To the extent that the City issues a form of debt (e.g. Revenue Bonds) that requires the City to maintain a restricted cash reserve during the term of the debt repayment period, the utility shall maintain a restricted reserve for such purpose. This reserve is to safeguard the purchasers of the utility’s debt and may be used to fund the final installment or last year’s debt service. SECTION 7. ACCOUNTING, AUDITING AND FINANCIAL REPORTING The City will establish and maintain a high standard of internal controls and accounting practices. The City accounts and budgets for revenue and expenditures on a modified accrual basis for general government and enterprise activities. Year-end financial statements for enterprise activities shall use full accrual accounting. The accounting system will maintain records on a basis consistent with accepted national standards for local government accounting and the Washington State Auditor’s Budgeting, Accounting and Reporting System. The annual financial statements shall conform to Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) and be in the form of an Annual Comprehensive Financial Report as recommended by the Government Finance Officers Association. A capital asset system will be maintained to identify all City assets and their location. The City will ensure that City records are audited annually, resulting in a financial opinion. The results of the audit will be available to the public through the City’s website. Page 8 of 9 SECTION 8. DEBT The City’s Debt Policy, as it may be amended from time to time, is hereby included in the Financial and Budget Policies. SECTION 9. INVESTMENT The City’s Investment Policy, as it may be amended from time to time, is hereby included in the Financial and Budget Policies. SECTION 10. BANKING AND MONEY MANAGEMENT Safety The City shall engage in relationships, and conduct its business, with one or more banks, repositories of public pooled funds, and financial institutions in a manner that avoids concentrating City balances in a way that may expose the City to material losses in the event of an adverse development affecting any bank or financial institution in which City assets are held. Money Management The City Administration shall seek to form relationships with banking and financial institutions that offer the City efficient and effective tools and technologies to manage and track transactions and balances. SECTION 11. MUNICIPAL SECURITIES DISCLOSURE The City’s Municipal Securities Disclosure Policy, as it may be amended from time to time, is hereby included in the Financial and Budget Policies. SECTION 12. SURPLUS REAL PROPERTY The City’s Surplus Real Property Policy, as it may be amended from time to time, is hereby included in the Financial and Budget Policies. SECTION 13. PROCUREMENT POLICY The City’s Procurement Policy, as it may be amended from time to time, is hereby included in the Financial and Budget Policies. Page 9 of 9 SECTION 14. EQUIPMENT RENTAL AND REVOLVING FUND The Equipment Rental and Revolving (ER&R) Fund policy, as it may be amended from time to time, is hereby included in the Financial and Budget Policies. SECTION 15. GRANTS City Council approval is required to submit an application for grants over $50,000, unless pre- authorized for acceptance by the City Council through ordinance or resolution. The $50,000 threshold must include as part of the estimate any City “in-kind” labor used as matching funds, and City staff will describe to the Council the amount that is provided through the grant and the amount that is provided through in-kind matching funds. For grants that are over $50,000, or otherwise require Council approval, but for which there is an application deadline that does not allow City staff to obtain prior Council approval to apply for the grant, the Department Director shall obtain the approval of the City Manager or their designee prior to submitting the application and subsequently bring the grant to the Council for approval and ratification. Applications for grants in the amount of $50,000 or less can be submitted without City Council approval, unless such approval is required by the granting agency. The City Manager, or designee, is authorized to execute all required agreements and documents with a grant-issuing agency to effectuate any grant approved or accepted by the City Council. To the extent that this section conflicts with any other policy or resolution adopted by the City Council, this section controls.