Glossary

Accrual Basis of Accounting: Method of accounting that recognizes the financial effect of transactions, events, and interfund activities when they occur, regardless of the timing of related cash flows.

AMI: Advanced Metering Infrastructure

AMR: Automated Meter Reading

Appropriation: Money set aside by formal action for a specific use.

Balanced Budget: A budget which expenditures and ending fund balance are equal to net available resources (beginning fund balance plus revenues).

Basis of Accounting: As per Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), the modified accrual basis of accounting is used by all governmental fund types and agency funds (General Fund, special revenue funds, capital projects funds, and trust funds). Under the modified accrual basis of accounting, revenues are recorded as collected unless susceptible to accrual, such as amounts measurable and available to finance the City’s operations. “Available” means collectible within the current period or soon thereafter to be used to pay liabilities of the current period. The accrual basis of accounting is utilized by proprietary fund types (enterprise funds and internal servicefunds), pension trust funds and non-expendable trust funds. Under this basis of accounting, revenues are recognized when earned and expenses are recorded when liabilities are incurred. The City’s fiscal year ends on December 31st.

Basis of Budgeting: Budgets for the General, Special Revenue and Capital Projects funds are prepared and adopted on a basis consistent with GAAP. Budgeting in the Enterprise and Internal Service funds are prepared and adopted on a basis consistent with GAAP, except the bond principal payments and capital improvements are treated as expenses. Budgetary considerations for Enterprise and Internal Service funds in this report are on this non-GAAP budgetary basis.

Budget: A financial plan that estimates proposed expenditures for the following year along with proposed methods of financing them. The budget is considered in balance if available resources are equal to or greater than total appropriated expenditures. The budgetary legal level of control is at the fund level.

CASTA: Colorado Association of State Transit Agencies

CBD: Central Business District

COPS: Community Oriented Policing Services

CERF: Capital Equipment Replacement Fund

Capital Expenditure: Expenditures in excess of $5,000.00 for equipment or construction with a useful life greater than one year, which results in an addition to the City of Durango’s fixed assets. Capital Improvement Plan (CIP): A plan of proposed capital outlays and the means of financing them for the next 15-year period.

Carryover Working Capital/Reserve: Also known as “cash surplus.” This is the amount of money in a particular fund that is not reserved for designated expenditures and is available for spending in the following fiscal year.

CASTA: Colorado Association of Transit Agencies

CDPHE: Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment

Charter: The City Charter is the basic underlying legal document for the City of Durango, and functions much like the Constitution does for the federal government. The Charter provides the basic rules of operation that govern the City of Durango, and provision within can only be changed by a vote of the citizenry.

CMWTP: College Mesa Water Treatment Plant

Contingency: A reserve for unanticipated expenditures. Appropriations during the year for contingencies must be provided by ordinance. Included is the 3% emergency reserve (required under the State’s TABOR amendment) that can only be spent in accordance with the Colorado Constitution.

DFPD: Durango Fire Protection District

EN: Established Neighborhood

Enterprise Fund: A fund established to account for operations financed and operated in a manner similar to private business enterprises, where the governing body intends that the cost of providing goods and/or services to the general public on a continuing basis will be primarily financed or recovered through user charges.

Under the State’s TABOR Amendment, Enterprise Funds are only those which receive 90% of their operating revenues from user fees and that have the authority to issue debt. These funds according to the TABOR amendment are not subject to its provisions. In addition, the Colorado Supreme Court has determined that the Conservation Trust Fund is exempt from TABOR.

Expenditures: Decrease in net financial resources. Expenditures include current operating expenses requiring the present or future use of net current assets, debt service and capital outlays.

Expenses: Asset outflows or liability occurrences from goods delivery/production and/or services rendered.

FTA: Federal Transit Administration – Compiles statistics and makes recommendations for U.S. mass transit.

Fund: Liabilities are segregated in a fund to carry out specific activities in accordance with special regulations, restrictions and/or limitations.

Fund Balance: The difference between fund assets and fund liabilities are similar to net worth in a private sector entity.

Fund Type: Any one of seven categories in which all funds are classified in governmental accounting. The seven fund types are: general, special revenue, debt service, capital projects, enterprise, internal service, and trust and agency.

GAAP: Generally Accepted Accounting Procedures – a collection of rules and procedures and conventions that define accepted accounting practices; includes broad guidelines as well as detailed procedures.

GFOA: Government Finance Officers Association – The purpose of the Government Finance Officers Association is to enhance and promote the professional management of governments for the public benefit by identifying and developing financial policies and best practices and promoting their use through education, training, facilitation of member networking and leadership.

General Fund: The fund used to account for financial resources (except those required to be accounted for in another fund or those that are accounted for in another fund) for management and control purposes. The General Fund is the basic operating fund of the government and includes Administration, Finance, Community Development, Parks and Recreation, Public Safety, Public Works, and General Building Maintenance.

HUTF: Highway Users Tax Fund – In 1935, the Colorado Constitution was amended, providing that revenue generated with respect to the operation of vehicles on Colorado public highways be “used exclusively for the construction, maintenance, and supervision of the public highways of this state.” The provision specifically applies to revenue generated by license fees, registration fees, and fuel taxes.

Home Rule: Limited autonomy in the organization or management of local affairs granted by the state to a county or municipality. Home Rule entities are exempt from some forms of state supervision, mainly in the area of finance.

LUDC: Land Use and Development Code is City law about such things as: how land may be used and may not be used, how much can be built, what resources have to be protected and how, how projects should be designed, and how approvals are granted for new development, expansions of existing buildings, or redevelopment.

Levy: The total amount of taxes, special assessments or service charges imposed by a government.

Mill: A rate of tax. Results in $1 of revenue for every $1,000 of assessed valuation. 1/1000th’s of $1 of assessed value.

MM: Multi Modal

MMTMP: Multi Modal Transit Master Plan

Modified Accrual Accounting: An accounting method where revenues are recognized in the accounting period in which they become available and measurable and expenditures are recognized in the accounting period in which the fund liability is incurred, if measurable.

Net Available Resources: Beginning fund balance plus revenues.

NPDES: National Pollution Discharge Elimination System

POST: Parks, Open Space & Trails.

Proprietary Funds: Funds that focus on the determination of operating income, changes in net assets (or cost recovery), financial position, and cash flows. There are two different types of proprietary funds: enterprise funds and internal service funds.

PRV: Pressure Reducing Vault

Revenues: Increases in the net current assets from other than expenditure refunds and residual equity transfers. Revenues as defined under the State’s TABOR Amendment; different than revenues considered for accounting purposes. Revenues under TABOR are all those actually received in cash during a fiscal year.

SAP: Sustainability Action Plan

SCADA: Supervisory Controls and Data Acquisition

SoCoCaa: Southern Colorado Community Action Agency

S-RAT: Sewer Line Rapid Assessment Tool

STAR: Sustainability Tools for Assessing and Rating Communities. A framework and certification program for evaluating local environmental, economic and social sustainability.

SUCAP: Southern Ute Community Action Programs

Supplemental Appropriation: If during the fiscal year the manager certifies that there are available for appropriation revenues in excess of those estimated in the Budget, the City Council by resolution may make supplemental appropriations for the year up to the amount of such excess, which would amend the Adopted Budget.

SWCCOG: South West Colorado Council of Governments

SWTA: Southwest Transit Association

SWTPR: Southwest Transportation Planning Region

TABOR: The Taxpayers Bill of Rights. Nickname of TABOR for a citizen-initiated amendment to the Colorado Constitution that severely limits governments’ ability to collect increase in tax revenue. The citizens of Durango voted to exercise the amendment provision to “opt-out” of most of TABOR’s restrictions.

VMT: Vehicle Miles Traveled

Working Capital: Net available resources

WTP: Water Treatment Plant