Using the finance or similarly named department link of a city or county’s website, locate the government’s comprehensive annual financial report (CAFR). (You also may be able to find the government’s CAFR by typing the government name and “CAFR” into an Internet search engine.) Look through the table of contents or use a search tool to access the budget to actual data for the government’s General Fund. This may be found in a Budgetary Comparison Schedule; in a Statement of Revenues, Expenditures, and Changes in Fund Balance—Budget and Actual; or in a Schedule of Revenues, Expenditures, and Changes in Fund Balance—Budget and Actual.

Required
a. Examine the schedule or statement in detail. Is it similar in form to Illustration 4-6? Does it include columns for the legally adopted original and final budgets, as well as actual amounts? Is a variance column presented?
b. Were significant changes made between the original and final budgets? Are there major differences between the final budget and actual amounts? If there were significant changes in total revenues between the original and final budgets, do you note corresponding changes in expenditures?
c. Peruse the Management’s Discussion and Analysis (MD&A) within the CAFR and review any budgetary highlights or discussion of budgetary issues. Write a brief paragraph summarizing budget changes made during the year. Identify reasons for budget amendments, if available.