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City Council Litchfield Park Branch Library
Community Room
Work Study Session
101 W. Wigwam Blvd.
(623) 935-5033
Agenda
Litchfield Park, AZ 85340
litchfieldpark.gov
Wednesday, September 17, 2025 6:00 PM
Members of the Litchfield Park City Council will attend either in person, by telephone, or video conference call.
Physical access to the meeting room will be available 30 minutes prior to the meeting.
I. Call to Order
A. The agenda and packet are available at: www.litchfieldpark.gov
B. A video recording of the meeting can be seen here the next business day.
II. Pledge of Allegiance
III. Business
A. Fund Balance and Debt Policies INFORMATION ONLY
Presenter: Paige Peterson, Asst. City Mgr./Director of Finance
Discussion and possible direction related to current and future Fund Balance and Debt Policies.
IV. Adjournment
_____________________
Thomas L. Schoaf, Mayor
Affidavit of Posting
I, Terri Roth, MMC, City Clerk. do hereby certify that I caused to be posted a true and correct copy of this agenda for the City
Council meeting of Wednesday, September 17, 2025, in the following place in the City of Litchfield Park:
1. City Hall, outside bulletin board
2. City Website
_______________________
Terri Roth, MMC, City Clerk
Persons with special accessibility needs should contact City Hall, (623) 935-5033, at least 48 hours prior to the meeting.
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CITY COUNCIL Business Item III.A
COMMUNICATION Fund Balance and Debt Policies
To: Mayor Thomas L. Schoaf and Members of the City Council
From: Paige Peterson, Asst. City Mgr / Director of Finance
Through: Matthew Williams, City Manager
Meeting Date: 9/17/2025
Presenter: Paige Peterson, Asst. City Mgr / Director of Finance
RECOMMENDED MOTION:
N/A
BACKGROUND/DISCUSSION:
This is a continued discussion from the recent Council Retreat held on August 18, 2025. Possible
direction to Staff would be to amend current policies.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
Staff defers to Council
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
N/A
ATTACHMENTS:
1. City of Litchfield Park Budget Policy FY2026 Draft
2. City of Litchfield Park Debt Policy Draft
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Budget Policy
First Adopted by City Council: 12/18/2019
Last update by City Council: TBD12/18/2019
Background
The City’s budget policy intends to establishes guidelines for the City’s fiscal planning and management.
The policies support the continued financial strength and stability of the City of Litchfield Park. The City
strives to build a financially resilient government through financial policies and long-term financial
planning. The City’s overall financial goals are:
• To provide quality services to City residents in an efficient and cost effective manner
• To maintain an adequate financial base including revenue sources to sustain an acceptable level
of services and preserving the quality of life in the City of Litchfield Park
• To prepare for and withstand local and regional economic cycles, changes in service requirements
for our community, and State funding priorities.
• To maintain a high standard of financial management and reporting as set by the Government
Finance Officers association, the Governmental Accounting Standards Board, and other
professional standards.
Laws and Standards
The City’s fiscal year is set by State law and runs from July 1st to June 30th of each year. The City’s budget
must comply with the expenditure limitation which is set by the Arizona Constitution and is basedwhich
establishes a base equal to on local revenues for the fiscal year 1979-1980. As provided in State Law, City
voters approved a permanent adjustment of the expenditure base by two million dollars ($2,000,000.00)
in 2004. Adjustments to the base are calculated annually by the Economic Estimates Commission based
on inflation and population growth.
The following laws and standards apply to budget formation and reporting:
• Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP)
• Government Finance Officers Association’s (GFOA) best practices
• Constitution of the State of Arizona
• Arizona Revised Statutes (ARS)
• City of Litchfield Park Code
• City of Litchfield Park Charter
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Balanced Budget, Revenue and Expenditure Policies
The annual budget will be prepared withaccording to the following policies:
1. The City will establish a balanced operating budget:
a. Ongoing operating costs should be supported by ongoing revenue sources.
b. Ongoing expenses will not be tied to one-time revenues or reserves without a plan for
restoring structural balance. This may occur on an infrequent and temporary basis during
period of significant revenue shortfalls.
2. The total adopted expenditure budget, operating and capital will be fundable with available and
forecasted resources. Resources include both revenue and fund balance.
3. Construction sales tax is considered one-time revenue to be used only for capital and one-time
projects; deviation of this requires Council approval.
4. Fund balance should be used only for one-time expenditures such as capital equipment, capital
improvements, and debt payoff.
5. Changes in employee compensation will be evaluated and budgeted as necessary, including cost
of living increases and merit based pay, to ensure that the City retains and attracts outstanding
personnel.
6. Along with the budget, the City Council approves full-time equivalents (FTE) and position roster
by department budgeted within each fund. Changes to the roster such as new positions and
number of FTEs in each department must be approved by City Council.
7. Contingency budget may only be used with approval by City Council. If contingency is approved
and used to fund for ongoing costs, in future years these coststhey must be included in the
operating budget, not funded by contingency.
8. All departments directors are responsible for ensuring that department expenditures do not
exceed departmenttheir approved budget.
Cost Recovery Policies
9.1. Rates, fees and charges will be evaluated periodically for appropriate recovery rates based on the
purpose of the fee or charge.
10.2. Recreation Services and Special Events collect program revenues and are supported to
varying levels by the City’s general fund revenues.
a. Recreation Services: It is recognized that public recreation facilities and programs will be
subsidized to some extent as this is a community service function of the City.
i. The target cost recovery for Recreation Services is 50% of total expenditures.
i.ii. The recreation fees for services will be reevaluated annually; the City Manager
has the discretion to offer a City resident differential for programs.
ii. The City resident differential in the fee for programs is 20%.
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b. Special Events: The target cost recovery for special events is 90% of total expenditures,
including City personnel costs.
Fund Balance Objectives and Policies
Budgetary fund balance is the difference between assets and liabilities in a governmental fund. It is a
measure of financial resources accumulated from prior years available at a given time and should be
considered in the context of long-term forecasting and strategic planning.
It is essential that the City maintains adequate levels of fund balance to mitigate current and future risks
such as revenue shortfalls and unanticipated expenditures.
The City Charter, Section 5. City Minimum Reserve Policy states that,
The Council shall adopt a Fund Balance Policy that includes a targeted annual minimum
unassigned fund balance of 25% of operating expenditures. The policy shall also include a
provision to temporarily lower the unassigned fund balance should an emergency measure be
enacted in this Charter.
In order to comply with the City Charter, the targeted minimum unassigned fund balance will be included
in the annual budget process and included in the formal budget adoption each year. The targeted
minimum unassigned fund of 25% is considered the bare minimum and the City will seek to have a higher
fund balance that includes:
The City has formally adopted fund balance policies for the following governmental funds:
11.1. The General Fund will have a threefive-part reserve as follows:
a. The City will maintain a minimum fund balance in the amount of 15% of budgeted
General Fund expenditures and operating transfers out for the current fiscal year. The
minimum balance is not intended to be spent, but it is to ensure the City has adequate
resources to meet its operating needs.
b. The City will maintain a budget stabilization fund balance in the minimum amount of 35%
of budgeted General Fund expenditures and operating transfers out for the current fiscal
year.
c. The City may build up reserves set aside for special projects that are temporary in nature..
These are temporary in nature and at the time of the last policy update include the
following:
i. For example, the City will accumulate debt-payoff fund balance in the amount of
$2,960,000 to be able to exercise the prepayment option of the Series 2015
Revenue bonds by July 1, 2020. The final decision for prepayment will be subject
to Council approval.
d. The City will maintain a debt service fund balance that includes one year of debt service
payments. This will allow the City to pay the debt service payments in full for one year in
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the event of an economic downturn. One year of debt service payments is sufficient and
will allow City staff adequate time to respond to an economic downturn and make
necessary adjustments to the operating budget to ensure the debt service payments are
fully funded.
e. The City will authorize the Director of Finance to maintain a fund balance that she or he
believes could be sales tax that was remitted to the City in error. As the area that
encompasses the Litchfield Park zip code continues to grow, but is not within the city
limits, the likelihood of the city receiving sales tax in error continues to increase.
Surrounding cities and business owners have four years to file an interjurisdictional
transfer or amended return. The Director of Finance will update Council on this issue as
necessary (without disclosing confidential taxpayer information).
12.2. The Highway User Revenue Fund, does not need to maintain a minimum fund balance.
The funds are restricted by state constitution to be used “solely for highway and street purposes
including costs of rights of way acquisitions and expenses related thereto, construction,
reconstruction, maintenance, repair, roadside development” (Article IX, Section 14). The City will
attempt to use the State distributed funds annually.
13.3. Street Light Improvement Districts (SLIDs). SLIDS have a maximum levy of $1.20 per $100
of assessed valuation in accordance with A.R.S 46-616. To the extent that the levy limit has not
been exceeded, taxes will be levied at a rate that will approach an individual fund balance reserve
of 5% of its budgeted annual expenses. This is to cover fluctuations in revenue collections so the
SLID funds can be self-sustaining.
Capital Budget Policies
14.1. A long-range capital improvement plan should be prepared and updated each year. The
capital plan should be deliverable and fundable. The plan is aligned with the long-term financial
forecast which will outline available funds while maintaining compliance with fund balance
policies.
15.2. The capital plan will be presented to City Council for review and input during the budget
workshops. Each department must, when planning capital projects, estimate the impact on the
city’s operating budget.
16.3. Financing of capital expenditures from available funds, known as pay-as-you-go funding,
is the least costly and most beneficial method to cover capital expenditures. Necessary capital
expenditures which are unable to be funded from available resources may be considered for debt
financing.
Fiscal Planning
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17.1. The City will create a long-term financial plan by establishing assumptions for revenues,
expenditures, and changes to fund balance over at least a five-year horizon.
Debt Management
1. Long-term debt will not be issued to finance ongoing operations.
18.2. The City Charter states that, “The Council, in accordance with state law, may incur debt,
including general obligation bonds, revenue bonds, leases, and all other debt types. To control
fixed costs and to ensure the City has the ability to meet debt and all other operating costs, the
Council by way of ordinance, shall adopt a debt limitation policy.”
Budget Preparation and Roles
19.1. The Finance Department and City Manager will establish a budget schedule specifying key
milestones within the budget preparation period. All departments will submit their budget
requests to the Finance department in accordance with the schedule. Following the department
submittals, each department meets with the City Manager who reviews the budget to be sure
that planned activities are in line with Council goals and objectives. Then Finance staff develops
budget documents to be reviewed by the City Council in a budget work session.
20.2. In this public budget workshop meeting, the Council reviews the City Manager’s budget
proposal and asks staff questions to ensure to their satisfaction that it will carry out their goals as
intended. Feedback and direction from the Council is integrated into the proposed budget which
is tentatively adopted. Per State Law, a public notice is issued advising City residents of the budget
proposal and a public hearing date for two consecutive weeks. A public hearing is held to allow
public input and discuss the final budget.
Budget Adoption
21.1. The budget is prepared and adopted in accordance with requirements of the Arizona
Revised Statutes.
22.2. The budget is legally enacted by action during a special meeting of the City Council which
sets the legal restrictions on expenditures by department in each fund.
23.3. Although legal limits on expenditures are established at the department level, effective
administrative control over expenditures is enabled by establishment of a detailed line-item
budget which is managed by City Staff.
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24.4. All appropriations and encumbrances unexpended at year-end lapse, and are not
available in the following year. Included in the budget adoption is approval for the re-
appropriation of all encumbered balances.
Budget Amendments
25.1. When circumstances warrant it, the City Council may transfer any unencumbered
appropriation balance between departments and funds.
26.2. Use of appropriated contingency funds requires approval of the City Council.
27.3. The City Manager may approve department heads’ request to use available budget in
personnel classifications for other purposes within their department and department heads can
manage their remaining line-item budgets by transferring between line-items as necessary.
Budget Monitoring
28.1. Following the adoption of the budget, incoming revenues are monitored regularly and
compared to budget projections.
29.2. Department expenditures are tracked against what has been budgeted.
30.3. City Council is provided a financial report on a regular basis.
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City of Litchfield Park – Debt Management Policy
The City will seek to maintain and strive to improve its current bond rating to minimize
borrowing costs and preserve access to credit.
Debt financing should not exceed the useful life of the asset or improvement.
A cash flow analysis of the impact of any potential new debt combined with the current
debt will accompany every future debt proposal. The analysis must demonstrate that the
city can maintain services at existing levels to not negatively impact residents; shall
include possible economic downturns and how the city can respond to them; shall include
the debt fund balance policy which requires the city to maintain one year of debt payments
including the potential new debt payment; shall include the minimum fund balance policy;
and shall include the budget stabilization fund balance policy.
Pledged revenue bonds have traditionally been the mechanism for the city’s debt
financing. At the time of any new pledged revenue bond issuance, the debt payments for
all debts cannot be greater than 16% of the total operating revenues.
General Obligation debt, which is supported by a property tax, must be authorized by the
voters. This mechanism has never been used in the history of the city.
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