Long Term Obligations and Assets

Project elements in chapter IV of Financial Reporting in Government
By Dr. John Sacco , George Mason University
Revised Saturday, April 12, 1997

This chapter has two project. One has to do with paying off a long term debt from borrowing and the other is related to a pension operating fund and its solvency.

Project A

Remember, with the liquidity nature of governmental accounting, long term debt is not accounted for in the general fund of the balance sheet. Long term debt is placed in a group, called General Long Term Debt Account Group (GLTDAG). In this case, the long term debt is all general obligation, backed by the full faith and credit of the government. The debt is a result of capital improvements and some operating costs.

The related spreadsheet shows the GLTDAG. For this assignment, complete the following:

  1. do the spreadsheet as is
  2. for what % of the total long term debt payable are there actual assets (see amount available and to be provided for)
  3. where will the government get the money to pay for the bonds; you might go back to the statement of revenues, expenditures and change in fund balance to assess the capacity of this government to pay this debt
  4. do a *budget to determine how much to save in order to pay off the debt (in actuality the budget would be done for the debt service fund, which is usually established to pay the debt).

*For the budget, assume that the current $35,000 available will earn 4% for five years. Assume also that the government has been adding $2000 per year and will continue to do so at the beginning of the year for the next five years (an annuity). For interest earnings on the $2000 (annuity), take 4%. In essence, you need to figure whether the amount available and the annual transfer will be enough to meet the principal when due five years from now. If not, your budget must show what action to take. See also exercises and demonstration, paying off debt for more on the type of calculations needed. Ignore interest payments on the outstanding principal (assume that interest is coming out of the current operating budget as expressed in the statement of revenues, expenditures and change in fund balance).

The related financial statements are the GLTDAG and the debt service fund. These are given below.

                                Government

           Balance Sheet -- General Long Term Debt Account Group
                                12/31/19x0

           Assets:
           Amount Available and to be Provided For

           Term Bonds
             amount available in DSF        35000
             amount to be provided         100000

           Total available and to be provided      135,000

           Liabilities:
           General Obligations Payable
           Term Bonds                              135,000

           Total Liabilities and fund equity       135,000
  

The entire amount of the term bonds is due in five years from now. Also, see the Debt Service Fund where the money is actually accumulated to pay off the debt. The GLTDAG is simply a place to list the debt; here it is backed in part by the full faith and credit of the government.

Project B

In this assignment you will deal with the operating results (revenues, expenditures and change in fund balance) for a pension fund (usually called a public employees' retirement fund). The fund, as presented, is highly simplified.

In this assignment, you are to:
  1. reproduce the spreadsheet
  2. analyze whether the fund, as currently presented, is fiscally sound; make sure you specify your criteria
  3. redo (recalculate) the spreadsheet using the material in the assumptions section
  4. *recommend any changes

Assumptions: Assume that the operating expenses have been growing by about 5% per year, while revenue has been growing by about 2%. The investments in the balance sheet are carried at cost (not market); 1/10 of the investments are in undeveloped land. It is growing by 4%. The projected benefits payable are growing by 7%. The net amount of equipment goes down by $100 per year. Assume that any increased deficit over last year has to come out of investments and put into cash to keep cash at $500. We will cover these extrapolations in class.

*Discuss the political implications of your recommended changes and how you will get them passed by the legislative and executive branches. Consider also the possibility that a large part of the workforce is unionized.

                      Financial Statements of PERF
                     Public Employee Retirement Fund

           Statement of Revenues, Expenses and Change in Fund Balance
                    For the Fiscal Year Ended 12/31/19x0

           Operating Revenue:
           member contributions         4500
           employer contributions       8000
           investment income            1000
             Total revenue                      13500

           Operating Expenses:
           annuity benefits            10000
           disability benefits          2500
           admin. cost                   500
             Total expenses                     13000

           Net income                             500
  

See Also: homework , course readings , the glossary , stories , exercies and demonstrations , and a summary