P. 9-4

Internal service funds can be used to reduce general fund expenditures.

A city maintains an internal audit department and accounts for it in its general fund. In the coming year, the department will purchase $300,000 of computer and other office equipment, all of which will be paid for out of current resources (i.e., not with debt).

City officials have given top priority to reducing general fund expenditures. To that end, the city comptroller has proposed accounting for the internal audit department in an internal service fund rather than in the general fund. As envisioned by the comptroller, the audit department would bill each of the units (all of which are accounted for in the general fund) for each audit performed. Fees would be established so that they would cover all audit department costs. The fund would be established by a transfer of $300,000 from the general fund to cover the cost of the new equipment.

The city estimates that for the coming year the audit department