Recommended Budget Volume One.book - Chief Executive Office ...

CHANGE FROM BUDGET: The resulting variance when the
Recommended Budget is compared to the current budget.
CLUSTER: The alignment of County departments reflecting the
County’s four Strategic Plan programmatic goals that are based
upon a department’s service mission, as well as,
interdepartmental collaborations that are required to achieve
service integration goals. There are four (4) programmatic
clusters: Children and Families’ Well-Being, Health and Mental
Health Services, Community and Municipal Services, and
Public Safety. The fifth cluster, Operations, is structured to align
County functions that impact the overall organizational
effectiveness of the County.
COLLABORATIVE PROGRAM CHANGES (COLLABORATIVE
PROGRAMS): Reflects changes to the budget that are a result
of County departments working together or with stakeholders
to improve County programs or services.
CRITICAL ISSUES CHANGES (CRITICAL ISSUES): Reflects
changes to the budget that are significant in nature and are
mandated by the State or federal government.
CURTAILMENT CHANGES (CURTAILMENTS): Reflects
reductions to the budget that are generally necessary to
address projected funding reductions at either federal, State or
local level.
DEBT SERVICE FUND: A fund used to account for the
accumulation of resources to make payments of principal and
interest on general obligation bonds and other long-term
debt.
DEPARTMENTAL PROGRAM SUMMARY AND
PERFORMANCE MEASURES: A summary of countywide
programs and services intended to convey the result of a
program or service, the degree to which the County is
achieving the intended results and how well the operational,
programmatic and administrative process is working to
achieve this result. The Departmental Program Summary and
Performance Measures is available online.
DESIGNATIONS: Portions of fund balance set aside to indicate
tentative plans for future spending.
EFFICIENCY CHANGES (EFFICIENCIES): Reflects changes to
the budget that are the result of performing or functioning in a
more proficient manner.
ENTERPRISE FUNDS: A fund used to account for those
operations that are financed and run like commercial entities,
where the intent is to recover the cost of providing ongoing
services, primarily by user charges.
GLOSSARY
Appendix
ESTIMATED DELINQUENCIES: The amount of estimated
property taxes that will remain uncollected at the end of the
fiscal year.
ESTIMATED FISCAL YEAR: Reflects estimated expenditures
and available financing sources for the entire current fiscal
year.
EXPENDITURE: The spending or disbursement of financial
resources.
EXPENDITURE DISTRIBUTION: Transactions that constitute
reimbursement for expenditures or expenses initially made
from a fund or organization that are charged to another fund
or organization. Abbreviation: EXPENDITURE DIST
FINANCING USES: Total needs requiring financing for the
fiscal year (formerly known as financing requirements).
FISCAL YEAR: A yearly accounting period, beginning on July 1
and lasting through June 30 of the next year, to which the
annual operating budget applies. Fiscal years are designated
by the calendar year that they begin and end. Abbreviation: FY
FUNCTION: A group of related activities aimed at
accomplishing a major service or regulatory program.
FUND: A separate fiscal and accounting entity with a
self-balancing set of accounts recording financing uses,
sources, assets and liabilities.
FUND BALANCE: The amount remaining at year-end
representing the difference between current assets and current
liabilities.
GENERAL COUNTY: Term referencing all General Fund
operations, general obligation bond and other long-term debt
service requirements and Hospital Enterprise Fund operations.
GENERAL FUND: The fund used to account for all countywide
operations except those required to be accounted for in
another fund.
GENERAL PURPOSE (DISCRETIONARY) REVENUE: Monies
that are not legally earmarked by the State or federal
government for a specified program or use. Included in this
category are sales and use taxes, business license and utility
user taxes, and property taxes.
GENERAL RESERVES: A fund equity restriction to provide for
legally declared emergency expenditures. Authorization from
the Board of Supervisors is required to expend these monies.
FY 2011-12 Recommended Budget Volume One 66.2 County of Los Angeles