HomeMy WebLinkAboutResolution No. 436CITY OF MEDINA, WASHINGTON
RESOLUTION NO.436
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
MEDINA, WASHINGTON, ADOPTING AN AMENDMENT TO
FINANCIAL POLICIES TO UPDATE THE ACCOUNTS PAYABLE
PROCESS AND EXPAND EFT PAYMENTS.
WHEREAS, State policy RCW 42.24.180 requires that the payment of claims prior to
Council approval must be written into City policy. The City's authorized signers must also be in
writing and be approved by the City Manager.
WHEREAS, by recommendation given during the 2021 Financial and Accountability Audit,
for compliance of RCW 42.24.180.
WHEREAS, to expand EFT payments to include additional approved vendors, to improve
timely payment in a safer and more cost-efficient way.
WHEREAS, the approved changes provide greater transparency into the policies and
procedures of the Finance Department for the City of Medina.
WHEREAS, this action requires an amendment to the City's Financial Management
Policies;
NOW THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF MEDINA,
WASHINGTON, RESOLVES AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. Adopt Financial Management Policies as Amended, attached hereto as
Exhibit A.
Section 2. Effective Date. This Resolution shall be effective upon its adoption by the
City Council.
PASSED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF MEDINA ON SEPTEMBER 25,
2023 AND SIGNED IN AUTHENTICATION OF ITS PASSAGE ON SEPTEMBER 25, 2023.
Approved as to form:
Ogde Murphy Wallac�PLLC
Scott M. Missall, City Attorney
/es-s—icaRosiman, Mayor
Attest:
FILED WITH THE CITY CLERK: 91 "10Z3
PASSED BY THE CITY COUNCIL: Cj 12h) U23
RESOLUTION NO.436
C%rm4a. �44nonNAAWN
Aimee Kellerman, City Clerk
Resolution No. 436 Page 1 of 1
EXHIBIT A
City of Medina, Washington
Financial Management Policies
General Financial Goals:
Ensure a financial base that is sufficient to sustain City of Medina Municipal Services, able to
withstand local and regional economic challenges, able to adjust to changes in service
requirements, and maintain sound fiscal policies in support of these goals.
Financial Management Policies:
The Financial Management Policies assemble all of the City's financial policies in one document.
They are the tools to ensure that the City is financially able to meet its immediate and long-term
service objectives. The individual policies contained herein serve as guidelines for both the
financial planning and the internal financial management operations of the City.
The City of Medina is accountable to its citizens for the use of public dollars. Municipal resources
must be used wisely to ensure adequate funding for the services, public facilities, and
infrastructure necessary to meet the community's present and future needs. These policies
safeguard the fiscal stability required to achieve the City's goals and objectives.
The City of Medina's Financial Management Policies, and any amendments thereto, shall be
adopted by resolution of the City Council.
Policy Objectives:
The Financial Management Policies have the following objectives for the City's fiscal performance:
• Guide City Council and Management Policy decisions.
• Establish operating principles that minimize the cost of government and financial risk.
• Maintain revenue policies that ensure adequate funding for desired programs, currently, as
well as in the future.
• Promote sound financial management by providing accurate and timely reporting
information on the financial condition of the City.
• Protect the City's credit rating and provide for adequate resources to meet the provision of
any debt incurred by the City.
• Ensure the legal use of financial resources through an effective system of internal controls.
• Promote cooperation and coordination with other governments and the private sector in the
financing and delivery of services with the goal of obtaining the best value for the tax dollar.
Budget Policies
a. The annual budget will be designed in support of the Strategic Goals of the City and will
focus on continual evaluation of the City's success at achieving the goals and policies it has
set for itself. The operating budget is the City's comprehensive annual financial plan which
provides for City services based on City priorities.
b. The annual budget shall be developed consistent with state law and in a manner which
encourages early involvement with the public and City Council.
c. The City Council will establish municipal service levels and priorities for the ensuing year
prior to and during the development of the preliminary budget.
d. The City will maintain a balanced budget. The use of existing fund balances to achieve a
balanced budget (while generally accepted as a practice in Washington Cities), is not
sustainable for the long term. The City prefers to adopt an operating budget where current
revenues meet or exceed current budgeted expenditures.
e. The Finance Department will maintain a system for monitoring the City's financial
performance. The system will provide the City Council with monthly and/or quarterly
information in a timely manner at the fund level, by revenue resources and department level
expenditures.
f. Under the provisions of state law and the City's operating procedures, the budget is
adopted at the fund level. Adjustments or reallocations of existing appropriations within the
fund level, which do not change the bottom line of the fund, may be done administratively
and do not require Council action. Additions to, or reductions of fund level appropriations,
which change the bottom line of the fund, require an amendment of the budget and City
Council action by Ordinance.
g. Supplemental budget appropriations (appropriations requested after the original budget is
adopted) will be submitted in the form of a Budget Amendment and will be considered as a
result of the availability of new revenues.
h. The annual budget will provide for the design, construction, maintenance and replacement
of the City's Capital, facilities and equipment consistent with the Capital Projects Plan/
Comprehensive Plan/ Capital Improvement Plan, including the associated costs for
operating the facilities.
L The City will maintain all assets at such a level that it protects the City's capital investment
and minimizes future maintenance and replacement costs.
j. The City will develop an equipment replacement and maintenance needs list by department
for the life cycle of the equipment and will utilize this list during the annual budget
development process.
k. Fixed assets: inventories of larger physical fixed assets costing more than $5,000 and
having a useful life of more than one year, will be maintained on a Fixed Asset Schedule
and will be updated as the property is added, retired or sold.
Fund Policies
Adequate fund levels are a necessary component of the City's overall financial management
strategy and a key factor in external agencies' measurement of the City's financial strength.
General Fund Operating Balance: Minimum 25% Fund Balance
The City will strive to maintain General Fund Operating Balances at a minimum level of 25% of
the total General Fund Budgeted Expenditures.
The General Fund Operating Balance shall be created and maintained to provide sufficient cash
flow to meet the needs of daily financial operations.
In general, the City shall endeavor to support ongoing operations with ongoing revenues, but may
use General Fund Operations Balances on a limited basis to support City services pending the
development of a longer -term financial solution.
The General Fund Operating Balance shall not be used in a manner that puts the City in danger of
being unable to sustain future operations. If the General Fund Operating Balance falls below the
policy level stated above, it will be important for the City to create a long-term plan to replenish the
fund balance level.
Budget surpluses in the General Fund Operations Balance may be used on a limited basis to fund
operations and to fund reserve accounts if:
a) There are surplus balances remaining after all current expenditure obligations are met.
b) The City has decided that revenues for the ensuing budget year are sufficient to
support budgeted General Fund Operating needs.
A surplus is defined as the difference between the actual beginning fund balance and budgeted
beginning fund balance. It consists of "under -expenditures" and/or "excess revenues" over and
above the amounts included in the following year's annual budget.
Reserve Account Policies
The City maintains Reserve Accounts for a Levy Stabilization Fund Account, a Contingency Fund
Account, a Capital Projects Fund Account, and an Equipment Replacement Account. The priority
or sequence for allocating reserves to these accounts is:
1. The Levy Stabilization Fund account up to the annual targeted amount identified in the
Levy.
2. The Contingency Fund account up to 25% of the annual general fund budgeted
expenditures.
3. Any remaining reserves allocated to the Capital Projects Fund, the Equipment
Replacement Account and/or the Levy Stabilization Fund as recommended by the City
Manager and/or Finance Director.
Levy Stabilization Fund
On the November 2019 ballot, Medina voters approved a 6-year increase to their City property
tax levy, starting in 2020, in order to maintain then -existing levels of service for the next 10 years.
A promise was made to the voters that these additional funds would be managed in such a way
as to keep those service levels in place for at least 10 years. The purpose of the Levy Stabilization
Fund is to hold excess amounts resulting from the levy increase during 2020-2025 and to draw
from the Levy Stabilization Fund to cover General Fund and Street Operations funding gaps
during 2026 to 2029 (or longer, if feasible).
Contingency Fund
The Contingency Fund may be used for the following:
a) To sustain City services in the event of a catastrophic event such as a natural/manmade
disaster (e.g. earthquake, windstorm, flood, terrorist attack) or a major downturn in the
economy.
b) To address temporary, short-term (less than one year) economic downturns and
temporary gaps in cash flow. Conditions, such as expense reductions and/or restrictions
may be imposed.
c) Amounts held in the Contingency Fund in excess of its limit (25% of the annual general fund
budgeted expenditures) may be used to fund the Capital Improvement Plan.
d) To pay down debts expeditiously when financially advisable, consistent with expert
recommendations and with consideration of the City's overall financial status.
All expenditures transferred into and out of the Continency Fund, must be authorized by the City
Council.
Capital Proiects Fund
The Capital Projects Fund may be used for Capital Improvement Plan projects. See Capital
Investment Policies section for further details.
Equipment Replacement Account:
The City may elect to maintain an Equipment Replacement Account for the purpose of funding fleet
maintenance (police and public works) or a capital equipment reserve for the purpose of capital
asset replacement.
Development Services Fund:
The City provides Development Services to the community. Prior to 2022 this was done as a
department within the General Fund, charging fees directly to individual property owners who wish to
develop their private property. These revenue sources exist to offset the expense the City incurs on
the individual property owners' behalf.
The City desired greater transparency of Development Services' financial activities as well as a more
focused and streamlined accounting structure to evaluate its cost recovery rate. The Government
Accounting and Standards Board (GASB) has pronounced that if any service or program's principal
revenue source has a pricing policy that fees and charges be set to recover cost meets the criteria to
be reported as a separate "Enterprise Fund". The City desired to extract the Development Services
Department's related revenues, expenses (direct and allocated) and customer deposits from the
General Fund and place them in a newly created Development Services Fund, starting with Budget
Year 2022.
Revenue Policies
a. The City will strive to maintain a diversified and stable revenue system in order to
maintain the City's ability to handle fluctuations in individual revenue sources.
b. Revenue forecasts should be realistically estimated and based on the best information
available. The City will take into consideration that revenues are subject to local and
regional economic activities.
c. If long-term (greater than one year) revenue downturns are expected, the City will review
and as appropriate revise its revenue forecasts. The City will also consider reducing
expenses or increasing revenue in order to respond to and help stabilize the long-term
impacts.
d. When evaluating potential grants, the City must consider and communicate to
management and, where applicable, Council, the near- and long-term financial impact of
the grant on the City, including any requirements for local matching funds or for
continuation of program with local funds after grant funds are exhausted, as well as any
future expenditure impacts (e.g., on -going repairs and maintenance). A grant may be
rejected if its impacts on City finances cannot be justified.
e. The City will strive to set fee schedules at levels sufficient to cover the entire cost of service
delivery. The City will systematically review user fees and consider adjustments as necessary
to consider the effects of additional service costs and inflation.
f. With respect to revenue -generating contracts and leases to be entered into by the City,
the City shall review and, as applicable, present to Council for approval, the contract or
lease on a timely basis in order to help ensure prompt approval by Council (where
applicable) and generation of the related revenue streams. The City must undertake due
diligence for any possible real or apparent conflicts of interest and recommend how to
manage them. Any contracts or leases with real or apparent conflicts of interest must be
approved by City Council, and the conflict and conflict -management information must be
fully disclosed to the City Council prior to the presentation of the contract or lease to City
Council for approval.
Expenditure Policies
a. The City budget will provide for sustainable levels of service.
b. The City will propose only those operating expenditures that can be supported from on-
going operating revenues.
c. The City's operating budget will not rely on one-time revenues to fund ongoing -
expenditures. Before the City undertakes any agreements that would create fixed on -going
expenses; the cost implications of such agreements will be fully determined for current and
future years. Capital expenditures may be funded from one-time revenues, but the
operating budget expenditure; impacts of capital expenditures will be reviewed for
compliance with this policy provision.
d. Department heads are responsible for managing their budgets within the total appropriation
for their department.
e; The City will maintain expenditurecategories according to state statute and administrative
regulation.
f. All compensation planning and collective bargaining will focus on the total cost of
compensation, which includes direct salary, health care benefits, pennon contributions,
education, training allowance, and ether benefits of a non -salary nature, which are a cast to
the City.
Purchasing Policies
. The City will fallow state laws, and the City's adopted resolutions, ordinances and
policies regarding procurement.
b, The Director of Finance will develop detailed procedures for purchasing, credit card
usage, petty cash, expenditure authorization and contract management activities.
c. Federal Funds or grants: When procurement involves the expenditure of federal, state or
county funds, or private, funds or grants, the purchase will be conducted in accordance
with any applicable federal, state and county grant laws or regulations and will b
approved by the Director of Finance and the City Manager or their designee. When
purchasing items to be funded by others or reimbursed by a grant, the purchaser will
perform the due diligence required to ensure that the purchase meets the criteria of the
specific grant prior to initiating the purchase and requesting a release of City funds for the
purchase.
d. Emergency Procurement: The City Manager or designee may make or authorize others to
make emergency expenditures and procurements of materials, supplies„ equipment„ or
services when a threat to public health, welfare or safety exists. Applicable state laws
relating to emergency declarations, expenditures and purchases will be followed.
Definitions for Purchasing Policies
n. AccountsPayable -, is the obligations inGUrred by the City dr. nng its operations that
rernai n dire and, QILIsl be paid in the short term.
b, Accounts Receivable _.m is the funds or obligations owed to the City by customers who
were provided services,
d tic'.fi"t Officer -- The Finance Director and the CMty Manager wfll serve as the pity's
Auditing Officer and wik coniply with the bonffing and other provisions of RCA1 42,24- 1 0
and tiro requirements herein.
r . Claim - a gill, invorcxo or written reagUest for payment provided to the City by s vendor or°
owed party
Responsibilities of Accounts Payable
a. Accounts Payable is one of the primary redo ros, onsilailities of the Assistant Finance
Director ctor If the Assistant Finance Directoris urra blo to perform these duties, that Finance
Drrscrtor wrli osstarTro the robe of Accounts ounts Payable, In this case, tlra only acting ALidit
Officer or for the City would be the City Manager,
b AcCOUnts Payable will ensure that rib ser of-ta g documentation is attached to and
payment request and that tlro original docrrr�rentration is retained, Before the Auditing
Officer's review. Accounts Payable will ensure that oli appropriate accornpanying
material is included for each claim, verify the rn th relating to the laiH is correct, (�-.heck for
douUe payment and ensure that a rrasportsitalo department toad has st r pee arid
slgried the cl irrf for payrrient,
ri. Invoices will be revrewed by ar:COU is Payable to Delta present any errors, € mi si ns,
inconsistencies ;rand w orr lul or rOUblo payment. All claims and supporting
documentation will be organized by Acc=YtS Payable to allow for easy identification and
retrieval,
d. In order to erasure timely review of all claims against the City, Accounts Payable will
compile a list of the ciairns for the month that w iH be presented to the Audit Officer er and
the City Council for their` approval. ;
d. To be included on the list for payment, each c.Wrn, with all appropriate docr.arraent adorn will
he presented as early as possible to ACCOUnts l rayabt e but no latter than the Io t
business day of the month prior to the next re ralarly schedUed City Council meethig on
the second Monday of the rafearrth,
Management's Review & Certifiosti r1
o. All claims submitted to ffie. City wili be reviewed, pre audited and certified by the City' .
AL16ting Officer prior to payment. Witt) sa dtaol signature process, both the Finance
Director arid City Manager er wilt certify each claim.
b, TheAudit Officer, will review and c:erfify the payment staters of all claims
prior to presenLing sc.rsh clr-rirr:rw to the City COLMIGH for approval, No clairn wiil
be paid wrvithocrt deroh ratithentircation and certification by the Audit Officer,
c Prior to the payment of any claim, the Audit Officer r will dearly identify the
specific claims and payroll checks certified for payment rara an approval list,
d, the certification will be signed and dated by the y artlit Officer arid will include the
following r;tat rnent:
"The Undersigned Audit Officer ruses hereby certify under penalty of perjury that tho
forgoing dl irArarr are grrdt, due and unpaid obligation of the City of Medina, and that the
undersigned hereby authenticates and certifies said c aim
Payment of Clair
Afterreview and certification of a d alrn by the ArlditOfficer', ra chair may be
paid. When payment occurs prior to formal City COUncil approval of d cl inn, the City
Corrracil ra USt still exercise its responsibility to review and approve 61 claims presented for
payment andensure that the arrdit and certification syster r is a=irateand'operating ire;
manner that provides tlao greatest possible protection to the City.
City Council Review & Approval of Claims
The City Council will review Barad may approve the dairns paid irr to be paid at its next requg rly
chedLrled public meeting. Upon the uncil's approval for payment f dain,is arid payroll, the
following will be entered into the minutes of the rn eting"
"Claims audited and certified by the City's Audifin g officer as required by F ff ur`
p -24, 80 Barad those expense reimbursement claims certified as required by fkC
,24.090 have, been recorded on ra listing which has been made available to the
Crarrrtcil,
As of t[iis date, (DATE), the Council sheen approve for pfayraaent tfros
dairns inciarded in the above -mentioned list and further described as follows:
Claim Checks ftmM:� ..� through .. in the total taniount of
Payroll Checks #mom thrOUgla ---l—. in the totalraaorarrt Of
Voided Check nurtaders and record of deposit dodr.rrnentn will also be noted on this
report."
Claim a i r par val
if the COLKwA disapproves a cliairra orclrairirs the City Manager and Finance Director swath
recognize these cl@4ris as disapproved and receivables of the city and pUr ere col'lectior
diligently until the ar°rIOUnts that have Recess disapproved are either col[ected or the Council
is safisfied and approves the appropriate r SOWtion of the c.lairns,
Check Requirements
rements
Ali Carty checks requr re two signatures ature for payrnent, and can be signed and paid only after
certification by the Auditing Officer. If the Rnancc,,Director is acting as Accounts Payable for,
clairn, there s secondary check signature MI be recicrired in lieu of the Finance Drrector, A list
of checks, from this ity's checking acCOUnt, clearly showing the claims for that month, gill be
made part of a regular amnthly Council approval list ever) though these such checks cocald
already have Boor) distributed in accordance with these policies,
Check; Signers
Each city check must be signet by two different Director level staff, each with the given
authority to do so by the Me6na City Council. The fo lowing are authorized ed to be the
signatories on this a000tint:
Primary Signature City Manager
Prirn ry ignalsrre: Finance Director
Secondary ignat,Ure, City Color
Secondary i natUro: Chief of ?Police
EFT (Electronic Fund Transfer) CONTROL PROCEDURES
To promote the safety of City fiends in the electronic funds transfer environment, the following
procedures will be adhered to:
1. The procedure to initiate, approve, and record an EFT payment is subject to the same financial
policies, procedures„ and controls that govern disbursements made by any other means.
• Review of transfer by Finance Director or her/his designee who will not be entering or initiating
the transfers
• Two approval signatures from ;authorized check signers..
• Reconciliation of bank activity to the General Ledger will be performed in a timely manner with
all exceptions resolved:
o EFT transactions will not be made without proper authorization of affected parties in accordance
with federal and state statutes and accepted business practices,
. All EFT payments should be "initiated by secure computer -based systems:
• US Bank ,inglePoint (designated administrator, dual control & time -limited token generated
PIN
• Known payroll benefit providers' portals, such as IRS, AWC, DR , ADP.
I- �eOCCUrrrving payments through vendor portals, such as ritififies and Voyager (Thrr Ugh U ,
Bank)
. The City Finance Director will serve as primary administrator to manage and control access to the
systems used to process EFT transactions, The administrator shall ensure that adequate separation
of duties exists in accordance with accepted internal control standards. In addition, the administrator
will ensure approval and maintenance of user system Is, user permissions including authorized
representatives and their associated transfer limits. The City Manager has authority serve as back
up administrator,
. Because EFT transfers between City bank accounts have reduced risk, the Finance Office may
use EFTS on a routine basis to concentrate funds for payment and investment purposes. Although
the risks are minimal for transfers between City accounts, reasonable controls should exist with
regard to authorization, reconciliation, and review of these transactions.
. EFT payments are limited to transfers between City bank accounts, employee expense
reimbursement, payroll and payroll benefits, and a Giniited list of approved vendors provident below
Vendor List for EFT Payments
US trek Voyager
rage
Pr pet Sound Energy
Bellevue Utilities
l epa. bfic Services
CentUry Lin
omca l
Home Depot Crr.riit Card Services
Konica Mirxolto
Capital Investment Policies
a. The City will make capital improvements in accordance with an adopted Capital
Improvement Flan.
15It is the policy of the City to maintain a Capital Projects Fund to provide funding for future
projects including debt repayment. The use of any funds within the Capital Projects Fund
must be recommended by the City Manager or their designee and approved by City
Council.
c. The Capital Improvement Plan and the base budget will be reviewed at the same time to
ensure that the ity's capital and operating needs are funded and that the Capital
Improvement Plan is aligned with the ity's other long-range plans:
d, The City will identify the estimated costs and potential funding sources for each capital
project proposal before it is submitted to Council for approval:
e. The City will comply with state and local laws regarding use of Beal Estate Excise Tay
( EET) Revenue
Accounting, Auditing and Financial Reporting
The City will maintain a system of financial monitoring, control, and reporting for all operations and
funds in order to provide effective means of ensuring that overall City goals and objectives are met.
Accounting Records and Reporting: The City will maintain its accounting records in accordance
with state and federal regulations. Budgeting, accounting and reporting will conform to Budgeting,
Accounting and Reporting System (BARS) for Governments as prescribed by the Washington
State Auditor's Office. Regular monthly and annual financial reports will present a summary of
financial activity by fund type and will be provided to the City Council.
Auditing: The City shall prepare and submit in a timely manner, the Annual Financial Report to the
Washington State Auditor's Office in accordance with the standards established for the Annual
Financial Report. The Washington State Auditor's Office will perform the City's financial and
compliance audits on an annual basis. Results of the audit will be provided to the City Council in a
timely manner.
The Finance Department will develop, maintain, and consistently seek to improve cash
management systems and processes which will ensure the accurate and timely accounting,
investment and security of all cash assets. Cash received will be deposited in a timely manner and
monies will be safeguarded (e.g. kept in a safe) until they are deposited.
The City will establish a Petty Cash Fund in the amount of $200. The Petty Cash Fund is to be
used solely for the purpose of making payment and/or small reimbursements for City related
purchases.
Investment Policy
1.0 Policy:
It is the policy of the City of Medina to invest public funds in a manner which will provide the
maximum security of the principal; meet the daily cash flow demands of the City; provide the
City with the highest investment return and conform to all Washington statutes governing the
investment of public funds.
2.0 Objective:
The City's investments will follow all statutes governing the eligible investments for public
funds in the State of Washington, in accordance with the Revised Code of Washington (RCW)
35A.40.050.
The primary objectives, in priority order, of the City's investment activities shall be:
a) Safety: Safety of principal is the foremost objective of the City of Medina. Investments
of the City shall be undertaken in such a manner that seeks to ensure the preservation of
capital in the overall portfolio. To attain this objective, diversification is required in order
that potential losses on individual securities do not exceed the income generated from the
remainder of the portfolio.
b) Liquidity: The City's investment portfolio will remain sufficiently liquid to enable the City
to meet all operating requirements, which might be reasonably anticipated.
c) Return on Investment: The City's investment portfolio shall be designed with the
objective of attaining a market rate of return considering the City's risk constraints and the
cash flow requirements.
The Finance Director shall be responsible for all transactions undertaken and shall establish a
system of controls to regulate all investment activities, and report promptly to the Council any
adverse development with any investment.
3.0 Ethics and Conflicts of Interest:
Anyone involved in the investment process shall refrain from personal business activity that
could conflict with proper execution of the investment program, or which could impair their
ability to make impartial investment decisions. Employees and Council Member officials shall
disclose to the City Manager and the City Council any material financial interests in financial
institutions that conduct business with the City, and she/he shall further disclose any personal
financial/investment positions that could be related to the performance of the City's portfolio.
Employees and Council Member officials shall subordinate their personal investment
transactions to those of the City, particularly with regard to the time of purchases and sales.
4.0 Authorized Financial Dealers/institutions:
Authorized broker/dealers and financial institutions will be limited to those that are approved
by the Finance Committee and meet one or more of the following:
a) Financial institutions approved by the Washington Public Deposit Protection
Commission (RCW 39.58); or,
b) Primary dealers recognized by the Federal Reserve Bank; or,
c) Non -primary dealers qualified under the U.S. Securities and Exchange
Commission Rule 15c3-1, the Uniform Net Capital Rule, and a certified member of
the National Association of Securities Dealers.
At the request of the City, financial institutions, brokers and dealers performing investment
services for the City shall provide their most recent financial statements or Consolidated
Report of Condition ("call report") for review.
5.0 Authorized Investments:
The City may invest in any of the securities identified as eligible investments as defined by
RCW 35A.40.050. In general, these consist of:
a) Investment deposits (certificates of deposits) with qualified public depositories as
defined in Chapter 39.58 RCW.
b) Certificates, notes or bonds of the United States, or other obligations of the United
States or its agencies, or of any corporation wholly owned by the government of
the United States (such as the Government National Mortgage Association).
c) Obligations of government -sponsored corporations which are eligible as collateral
for advances to member banks as determined by the Board of Governors of the
Federal Reserve System. (These include but are not limited to, Federal Home
Loan Bank notes and bonds; Federal Farm Credit Bank consolidated notes and
bonds, and Federal National Mortgage Association notes, bonds and guaranteed
certificates of participation.)
d) Bankers' acceptances purchased on the secondary market.
e) Bonds of the State of Washington and any local government in the State of
Washington which have, at the time of investment, one of the three highest credit
ratings of a nationally recognized rating agency.
f) Repurchase agreements for securities listed in 2, 3 and 4 above, provided that the
transaction is structured so that the City of Medina obtains control over the
underlying securities and a Master Repurchase Agreement has been signed with
the bank or dealer.
g) The State of Washington Local Government Investment Pool.
h) For a complete list of eligible investments for public funds in the state of
Washington, visit: hftp://www.tre.wa.gov/documents/inv—elig.pdf
6.0 Safekeeping and Custody
All securities transactions entered into by the City of Medina shall be conducted on a
delivery versus -payment (DVP) basis. Securities will be held by a third -party
financial institution designated by the Finance Director as custodian on the City's
behalf. All securities purchased by the City of Medina shall be properly designated
as an asset of the City and no withdrawal of such securities, in whole or in part, shall
be made from safekeeping except by the Finance Director as authorized herein, or by
the Director's designee.
7.0 Reporting:
The Finance Director will determine what investment information will be included in the
monthly financial report.
Debt Policy
The City will maintain adequate available debt capacity for specific priority projects.
The objectives of the City's Debt Management Policy will be to minimize the need for debt by
maintaining strong revenue sources which meet or exceed expenditures.
Debt may be utilized to address short-term cash flow needs and/or to finance significant capital or
other obligations. Debt will not be used to fund long-term revenue shortages. City Council
approval is required to approve the issuance of debt.
Current Operations will not be financed with long term debt. In the event that the need for long
term debt arises, the term of the long-term debt will not exceed the life of the projects financed.
When evaluating the use of non -voted Councilmanic Debt and the associated debt service
obligations, an analysis shall be performed to determine the City's ability to make debt service
payments, considering revenue fluctuations associated with periodic economic cycles. Debt
may be considered where the Director of Finance can demonstrate that there is sufficient
projected discretionary revenue to service the debt without disrupting the City's existing service
delivery or programs.
Voted and non -voted Councilmanic Debt will be used prudently in a manner to avoid an adverse
impact on the City's credit rating or ability to issue subsequent or additional debt.
Upon the issuance of any debt, the Director of Finance will establish the appropriate procedures to
assure compliance with bond/debt covenants and applicable federal, state and local laws, policies
and regulations.
In the event that the use of debt is required, the City will raise capital at the lowest cost, consistent
with the need to borrow. This will be accomplished by keeping a high credit rating, and maintaining
a good reputation in the credit markets by managing the annual budget responsibly.
Small and Attractive Asset Policy
It is the policy of the City to maintain accountability over all tangible items that may have the
likelihood of disappearing without being noticed.
A small and attractive item is an item that is easily concealed and carried off, priced between $500
- $4999, and has a life expectancy of more than one year. This item also is not likely to be missed
immediately upon disappearance. Examples include without limitation laptops, cellphones,
cameras, projectors, shop tools, guns, etc.
Each department head, or their designee, will prepare an Inventory List annually of their small and
attractive items. If an item from the previous year is deleted, the department head will note the
reason and/or means of disposal. This inventory list will be provided to the Finance Director by
June 30th each year for monitoring. The Finance Director or designee will do a physical inventory
based on random selection representing approximately 10-25% of items not previously selected
in the prior 2 years.
The asset list will contain the serial number, model or other identifying information. Whenever
feasible, each piece of property will be engraved or marked with the city's name. Such markings will
be removed or obliterated only when the item is sold, scrapped, cannibalized, or otherwise disposed
of.
The City may acquire property via purchase, construction, donation, or lease. Regardless of how it
is acquired, when the property is received, the department head or their designee will add it to their
Small & Attractive Assets Inventory List and mark the item with the City's name.
Items missing without adequate or feasible explanation may require additional reports to the Police
Department, City Manager and/or Insurance Company. Deletions brought about as a result of
natural disasters or theft would require reporting to the insurance provider for an eventual
reimbursement claim.