[Vision2020] limitations of local government

[Art Deco]

All,

There is an academic version of this software (Adobe Acrobat 7.0) available for a very low price.  Students, faculty, and staff of most academic institutions are eligible for this low price.  This software has, among other things, program inserts for many popular applications which allow immediate productions of pdfs from within those applications.  Using this software , the county could make pdf files of the information Jeff Harkins mentions and post it in almost no time at all.

Art Deco (Wayne A. Fox)
deco at moscow.com

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Tom Hansen 
  To: 'Jeff Harkins' ; 'Mark Solomon' ; vision2020 at moscow.com 
  Sent: Saturday, January 29, 2005 1:37 PM
  Subject: RE: [Vision2020] limitations of local government


  My recommendation is:

   

  Adobe Acrobat 7.0 Professional

  http://store.adobe.com/store/main.jhtml

  This complete software can be ordered online for $449.00 or the upgrade version can be ordered online for $159.00.

   

  I use Adobe Acrobat 6.0 Professional for converting any file into PDF format.  It is quick and easy.  PDF files and Adobe Acrobat Reader is becoming the de-facto standard for almost all download sites.

   

  I strongly recommend it.

   

  Tom Hansen

  Moscow, Idaho

   

  We could learn a lot from crayons: some are sharp, some are pretty, some are dull, some have weird names, and all are different colors....but they all exist very nicely in the same box. 


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  From: vision2020-bounces at moscow.com [mailto:vision2020-bounces at moscow.com] On Behalf Of Jeff Harkins
  Sent: Saturday, January 29, 2005 1:11 PM
  To: Mark Solomon; vision2020 at moscow.com
  Subject: Re: [Vision2020] limitations of local government

   

  Nez Perce is a good example - although they have not yet produced digital financial statements, they have provided budgets for the last five (5) years.  Also, they have a rather complete presentation of the Comprehensive Plan, the Ordinances and other supporting materials.  They are ahead of us by alot.  For those that want to check it out for themselves, here is the link:

  http://www.co.nezperce.id.us/

  Pdf would be a good format and the auditor should provide that without charge or a very minimal charge.

  You raise another issue - I don't know who is doing the write up and compilation work for the financial statements.  In concept, the financial statements should be prepared by the staff and management of the governmental entity as their assertion of the fiscal status of the entity.  This set of assertions should then be audited by the independent CPA.  The auditor attests to the fairness of the presentation in accordance with generally accepted governmental accounting standards.

  All too often, governmental entities do not have the staff fully trained in governmental accounting to provide the appropriate compilation of the financial statements - and engage the audit firm to prepare the statements for them.  This does create some "control" issues for the process - generally I do not find this arrangement to be of consequence - but it could be!  I don't know what the process is for Latah County.

  At 11:20 AM 1/29/2005, you wrote:




  Jeff,

  Unless budget/financial sheet software has changed significantly since my tenure at the courthouse, it would not be available in a digital format that could be accessed by other users. At that time (pre-PC, mainframe only) it was proprietary software, not off the shelf. Given the inertia of local government, it is more likely to have been tweaked rather than replaced over the years but I could certainly be wrong. Wouldn't be the first time.

  Not sure if you're referring to the annual audit when discussing the CAFR, but if so, back then it was prepared and delivered by the outside auditor in hard copy which would require copying and subsequent fee. I don't see any reason these days that report couldn't be formatted to pdf as a part of the audit contract.

  I've gone down with this ship before, but I'll say it again: to address the valid issues that you raise requires both clear direction from county commissioners who can devote enough time to the work of the office to achieve the consensus necessary (full-time in my opinion), trained staff and the monetary resource to devote the time needed. Space at the courthouse to breathe would help, too. Kootenai County, with its explosive growth rate, much greater population and subsequent increase in property tax base is not the county I would choose for comparison. How is Nez Perce County handling these information issues?

  Mark Solomon



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