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Ocean Shores finance committee plans budget cleanup, schedule filings and cost-allocation review
Summary
Finance staff told the committee they will pursue phased budget amendments to remove obsolete accounts, clean revenue/expense schedules ahead of the state auditor filing, and present a new cost‑allocation report from a consultant within weeks to reallocate utility charges more transparently.
City Clerk Sarah told the Finance Committee that staff will pursue a phased cleanup of the city’s revenue and expense accounts, remove obsolete zero‑balance accounts where allowable, and bring Budget Amendment No. 1 to the April council meeting.
Nut graf: The cleanup effort is intended to simplify the budget book, align the city’s account codes with the Washington State Auditor’s reporting manual and make future budgeting and public presentation clearer. Staff also said they expect a completed cost‑allocation report from a consultant, which will reallocate utility costs more directly and could change how much the general fund receives from utilities.
Details: Sarah said staff spent eight hours on Schedule 1 of the annual report and found many BARs (budget accounting reporting system) numbers that do not match the Washington State Auditor’s manual. She proposed splitting the work into phases: an initial amendment correcting obvious items already approved but not moved in the ledger, then quarterly cleanup work aimed at not overwhelming council with a single large amendment.
On cost allocation, staff described an outside consultant (Tara Dunford) who has prepared cost‑allocation reports for other Washington jurisdictions. Sarah said the consultant’s model yields a clear narrative and simpler, one‑directional allocations (no “figure eights” between funds): "it is we don't do figure eights. We do money in, money out. That's it." The committee was told the consultant will finish the work in about two to three weeks, and staff will present the findings to the finance committee and then to council.
Why it matters: The city’s current biennium bookkeeping and multiple legacy accounts make budget documents large and harder for council members and the public to interpret. A cleaned budget, reconciled BARs and an explicit cost‑allocation narrative aim to increase transparency and reduce reporting errors in future annual or biennial filings.
Next steps: Staff will send Xero account exports, share a legislative‑record spreadsheet that hyperlinks agendas and minutes, convene ad‑hoc finance sessions to review 0‑balance accounts, and bring Budget Amendment No. 1 to the April council meeting. The consultant’s cost allocation will be scheduled for presentation to the finance committee once outstanding items are provided.
