Answered step by step
Verified Expert Solution
Link Copied!

Question

1 Approved Answer

11-37) A headline in The New York Times on August 16, 2017 read: Hartford (Connecticut), with Finances in Disarray, Veers Toward Bankruptcy. The article said,

11-37) A headline in The New York Times on August 16, 2017 read: Hartford (Connecticut), with Finances in Disarray, Veers Toward Bankruptcy. The article said, among other things, ...Hartford, which has one of the highest property tax rates in the state still cannot raise enough money to pay for basic government operations. Here are some economic, demographic, and financial data taken Census Bureau QuickFacts (accessed August, 2017) and from Hartfords June 30, 2016 CAFR. (The financial statements, expressed in thousands of dollars, have been condensed.)

Economic, Demographic data

Hartford

Connecticut

United States

Population, 2010 Census

124,775

3,574,097

308,745,538

Population, 2016 estimate

123,243

3,576,452

323,127,513

Percent, high school grad, or higher

70.60%

89.90%

86.70%

Median household income

$ 30,630

$70,331

$53,889

per capita income

$ 17,311

$38,803

$28,930

Individuals living below poverty

33.40%

10.50%

13.50%

2016 unemployment rate (source: CAFR)

10.30%

5.50%

5.30%

City of Hartford

General Fund

Balance Sheet

6/30/2016

Assets:

Cash and Cash equivalents

$60,524

Receivables (mostly taxes)

84,332

Total Assets

144,856

Liabilities

55,007

Deferred inflows of resources

75,718

Fund balance:

Assigned

8663

Unassigned

5468

14131

Total Liabilities, deferred inflows of resources and fund balance

144856

City of Hartford

General Fund

Statement of revenues, expenditures, and changes in Fund balance

For the year Ended June 30, 2016

Total Revenues

$565,580

Total expendiutres

565,754

-174

Excess (deficiency) of revenues over expenditures

Other financing sources (uses)

Transfer in

5,438

Transfer out

-13,059

Total other Financing sources (uses)

-7621

Net change in fund balance

-7,795

Fund balance, beginning of year

21,926

Fund balance, end of year

14,131

Other Comments

A) The debt service Fund had a beginning fund balance of $97,174. The Debt service FUnd statement of revenues, expendiutres, and changes in fund balances for fiscal year 2016 shows $72,734 thousand of debt service expenditures, zero revenues, and $9,302 thousand of transfers in. It also shows significant inflows from refunding existing debt and the issuance of new debt. The same general pattern occurred in fiscal year 2015. Hence, it is reasonable to assume that most of the years debt service expenditures was financed, not by tax revenues, but rather by rolling over existing debt issuing new debt or drawing down the fund balance

B) Hartfords outstanding general obligation debt increased from $512.9 million at the beginning of fiscal year 2016 to $683.2 million at the end of the year. The CAFR reports that the assessed value of taxable property was $3,623,072,000 and the actual value of taxable property was $6,664,914,000. You can calculate Hartfords personal income by multiplying the population by the per capita income.

Required: Use the foregoing data to compute appropriate financial statement analysis ratios. Then, use the economic and demographic data, the financial statement ratios, the Other Comments shown above, and the rule of thumb data contained in the text to comment on Hartfords financial position and financial condition

Step by Step Solution

There are 3 Steps involved in it

Step: 1

blur-text-image

Get Instant Access to Expert-Tailored Solutions

See step-by-step solutions with expert insights and AI powered tools for academic success

Step: 2

blur-text-image

Step: 3

blur-text-image

Ace Your Homework with AI

Get the answers you need in no time with our AI-driven, step-by-step assistance

Get Started

Recommended Textbook for

Intermediate Accounting

Authors: Donald E. Kieso, Jerry J. Weygandt, Terry D. Warfield.

9th Canadian Edition, Volume 2

470964731, 978-0470964736, 978-0470161012

Students also viewed these Accounting questions