4 Reporting
4.1 Reporting Principles and Requirements
4.1.5 Reporting Requirements and Filing Instructions for Cities and Counties
4.1.5.10 Pursuant to RCW 43.09.230, Annual Reports are to be certified and filed with the State Auditor’s Office (SAO) within 150 days after the close of each fiscal year.
4.1.5.20 The following matrix provides additional details regarding reporting requirements for governmental, proprietary and fiduciary funds.
X - Required to be prepared by cities and counties and submitted to the SAO
N/A - Not applicable; not required to be prepared by cities and counties.
Footnotes
[1] Cities were required to prepare the Schedule 06 beginning in reporting year 2019.
Counties are required to prepare the Schedule 06 for reporting year 2020.
[2] Cities with total revenues usually less than $300,000 are also required to submit a Schedule 22 Questionnaire.
Caution
4.1.5.30 The SAO online filing system will automatically produce the C-4 and C-5 statements for the local governments. Note that local governments with total revenues of $2 million or less are not required to prepare financial statements unless debt covenants, a contract, a grantor or the district’s legislative body requires the district to prepare the financial statements or if the government is to receive a financial statement audit. If this request is made, the financial statement package containing the C-4 and C-5 statements and notes should be prepared. The $2 million threshold calculation excludes any proceeds from issuance of long-term debt and resources held by the government in its fiduciary capacity.
4.1.5.40 If more than $750,000 in federal funding was expended by the entity during the year and a federal single audit is required, the entity must prepare financial statements if it has expenditures of federal moneys from more than one program or cluster. However, an entity that normally does not prepare financial statements may not need to prepare them for the single audit if it has expenditures from only one program or cluster. Entities should consult with their local SAO team or the SAO HelpDesk if they have questions about this requirement.
4.1.5.50 Forms
The templates for Online Filing for Schedules 01, 06, 09, 15 and 16 are available on the BARS Reporting Templates page on the SAO website. When using the Online Filing option, the system will create the Schedule based on data provided by the city/county on these templates.
Blank forms for other schedules are provided on the BARS Reporting Templates page. The use of these particular forms is not required; however, information requested by the form is prescribed. Specific instructions accompanying each statement and schedule identify which, if any, details are optional.
4.1.5.60 Subsequent corrections
All subsequent discoveries of errors and omissions in the annual report – from the date of original submission up through the end of the audit applicable to that period – are required to be corrected by resubmitting the annual report. For any misstatements discovered during the audit, governments should ensure open communication with the audit team about the correction. Any misstatements discovered after the audit is completed that affect Schedule 01 should be recorded as a prior period adjustment. If misstatements discovered after completion of the audit are material, governments should immediately alert their audit team.
4.1.5.70 Filing instructions
Electronic reporting is strongly encouraged when filing annual reports. Annual reports should be submitted via the Online Filing option on the State Auditor’s website at: https://portal.sao.wa.gov/saoportal/. Acceptable file should adhere to the prescribed record layout and should be an Excel file. It should include column headings. All columns must be formatted as text except the Actual Amount column which is numeric. More details are provided on the website.
For questions and/or support e-mail the SAO HelpDesk through Online Services.
If the city or county cannot provide the annual report in the electronic format it should mail completed physical templates to:
Annual Report
State Auditor’s Office
Local Government Support Team
P.O. Box 40031
Olympia, WA 98504-0031
4.1.5.80 Certification
Electronic reporting through the SAO website will require electronic certification of the annual report during the final steps of the submission process.
If the city or county cannot utilize the electronic reporting, prepare the certification form (provided on the BARS Reporting Templates page), including signature and date and include this form when mailing your report.
4.1.5.90 The following matrix describes required statements and schedules for cash basis cities and counties and the scope of each schedule.
Footnote
[1] There should be only one general fund. Also, if the local government accounts for the debt and capital projects related to proprietary activities in funds other than proprietary, these activities should be incorporated in the appropriate proprietary fund. All interfund transactions between funds which are combined for reporting purposes should be eliminated to avoid double counting.
Annual Report Disclosure Form
MCAG No. _______
(City/County)
(This form is not required if you are submitting the annual report electronically.)
Use the column which is appropriate for your government type. Please place a check mark or "Y" if the statements/schedules are attached. If financial statements and/or are not applicable, mark the spot "NA" (not applicable). An "NA" in your government type column will indicate that a schedule is not attached due to lack of activities described in the schedule in reported year. The blocked spot indicates the schedule is not required for that government type.
Footnotes
[1] Only cities and counties with revenue of $2 million or more are required to prepare the notes to the financial statements. See Caution, above.
[2] See BARS Manual for detailed instructions indicating which cities are required to prepare this schedule.
[3] Only cities with revenue usually less than $300,000 are required to prepare this schedule.