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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

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 70.6% 89.9% 86.7%
Median household income $30,630 $70,331 $53,889
Per capita income $17,311 $38,803 $28,930
Individuals living below poverty 33.4% 10.5% 13.5%
2016 unemployment rate (source: CAFR) 10.3% 5.5% 5.3%

CITY OF HARTFORD General Fund Balance Sheet June 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 8,663
Unassigned 5,468
Total fund balance 14,131
Total liabilities, deferred inflows of resources, and fund balance $144,856

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 expenditures 565,754
Excess (deficiency) of revenues over expenditures (174)
Other financing sources (uses):
Transfers in 5,438
Transfers out (13,059)
Total other financing sources (uses) (7,621)
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 thousand. The Debt Service Fund statement of revenues, expenditures, 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.

Instructions:

  • Round answers for quick ratio and days' on hand ratio to one decimal place.
  • Round remaining ratios (presented as percentages) to one decimal place (ex: 0.2345 = 23.5%).
  • Do not round computations until your final answer.
  • Use negative signs with your answers when appropriate.
  • Ratio Answer
    Quick ratio Answer

    Days' cash on hand Answer

    Budgetary cushion Answer

    Operating margin Answer

    Debt burden (using full value of taxable property) Answer

    Debt burden (using personal income base) Answer

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