Governmental Financial Statements… WTF???

This case takes the reader on the frustrating journey of a resident of a local government tired of the relentless annual sewer fee increases.  It involves financial information for several fiscal years before this government declared bankruptcy, the largest in history at the time. Incredulous that these increases continued, the resident wondered if he could predict them by looking at the annual financial reports. By applying financial analysis techniques in the process of trying to answer this question, students will be able to gain familiarity with annual comprehensive financial reports (ACFRs) of state and local governments encouraged by Governmental Accounting Standards Board’s (GASB), enabling them to find pertinent information therein. Ultimately, the case raises questions about fiscal transparency, accountability in public finance, and the burdens placed on taxpayers when infrastructure investments are mismanaged, and is a platform for exploring core governmental accounting, municipal finance, and public policy decision making topics.