Action Items
Preliminary Steps
Complete Module 5 Preparation and Module 6 Preparation before you start working on this assignment.
Review the assignment rubric.
Read the City of Ponderosa case.Download City of Ponderosa case.
Step 1
Use of the City of Ponderosa financial statements to complete the assignment:
Statement of Net PositionDownload Statement of Net Position
Statement of ActivitiesDownload Statement of Activities
Balance Sheet Government FundsDownload Balance Sheet Government Funds
Revenues Expenses and Fund BalanceDownload Revenues Expenses and Fund Balance
Budgetary Comparison for FundDownload Budgetary Comparison for Fund
Independent Auditor’s ReportDownload Independent Auditor’s Report
Complete draft responses and analyses required for the case questions using the Ponderosa Template for Students Download Ponderosa Template for Students for financial calculations. Bring these to Lab 3.
Study the Guide to Fiscal Indicators of Financial Condition.Download Guide to Fiscal Indicators of Financial Condition.
Using the City of Ponderosa template, Download City of Ponderosa template,create a 6- to 8-page clear, concise, and visually appealing report that evaluates the financial condition of the City of Ponderosa in a way that is understandable to a diverse audience of citizens.
The report should include at least the following:
Page 1: Create a Financial Health Dashboard, similar to the examples illustrated in the geckoboard’s financial dashboard examples,Links to an external site. using the indicator categories Revenue, Expenditure, Operating Position, and Debt Structure (following the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) Financial Trend Monitoring System Framework). You should include at least one ratio for each indicator and use all the indicators calculated for the City of Ponderosa Case. Include any other ratios you deem necessary or important for evaluating the financial condition of the City.
Pages 2-6: Create 1 page for each indicator category (e.g., revenue, expenditures) that includes a brief explanation of what the indicators for that category can tell one about the financial condition of the City of Ponderosa. Also, provide analysis as to what the indicators presented in the dashboard suggest about the overall financial condition and issues (e.g., priorities, strengths, weaknesses, areas of concern, potential problems or risks, etc.) for the city in this area. In making this assessment you should be clear as to what the basis for your assessment is. For example, are you comparing the city to similar city ratios, rules of thumb, industry standards, etc.? This may require some additional research.
Note: On each page, include at least one graphic or table that illustrates a key point for the readers. Be sure to tell the readers the important points they should glean from the graphic or table. Whenever possible, include recommendations for steps the city should take in light of your analysis (for example, monitor certain demographic trends, investigate the causes of particular cost increases, identify strategies for reducing personnel costs, etc.)
Note: Your paper should follow the most recent version of APA citation, referencing, and formatting requirements, including a title page, running head, and page numbers.
Submit your assignment to be automatically checked by Turnitin.
If your report states that more than 24% of your document is not original thoughts, consider whether you need to rework your paper. Your paper must be written in your own words.
Review your Submission Details to access your Turnitin report.
Revise your work as needed based on the originality report (e.g., include citations).
Re-submit the final version of your work.
