02.02.2014 Views

the municipal secretary desktop reference manual - Southwestern ...

the municipal secretary desktop reference manual - Southwestern ...

the municipal secretary desktop reference manual - Southwestern ...

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.

B. MUNICIPAL INVESTMENT POLICIES<br />

AND PROCEDURES<br />

A jurisdiction=s governing body should take seriously its obligation to maximize <strong>the</strong><br />

earning power of “idle monies” by designating an investment officer, preferably <strong>the</strong> <strong>secretary</strong>.<br />

Idle monies are those funds which are not needed immediately to finance a local government=s<br />

day-to-day operations. Such monies exist in any <strong>municipal</strong>ity because of <strong>the</strong> uneven flows of<br />

fiscal resources into and out of a <strong>municipal</strong> treasury.<br />

To be a prudent investor of this available money, <strong>the</strong> appointed investment officer need<br />

not be a seasoned stock market participant, but does need to be aware of <strong>the</strong> types of investments<br />

that are permissible by law, or at <strong>the</strong> very least, <strong>the</strong> various programs that make those permissible<br />

investments for <strong>the</strong> <strong>municipal</strong> government unit. Regardless of <strong>the</strong> method used, <strong>the</strong> critical<br />

concern is a return on <strong>the</strong> investment as well as a return of <strong>the</strong> investment - Safety First.<br />

To maximize its investment opportunities, a local governing body should adopt and<br />

adhere to an investment policy which establishes a means to determine:<br />

! <strong>the</strong> amount of money which may be available for investment purposes,<br />

! when this money may be available, and<br />

! <strong>the</strong> length of time <strong>the</strong> money may be available.<br />

To arrive at <strong>the</strong>se conclusions and maintain <strong>the</strong> maximum investment capabilities, <strong>the</strong><br />

administration must:<br />

! develop a cash flow (budget) plan,<br />

! adopt regulations to control <strong>the</strong> cash flow, and<br />

! develop a portfolio plan which relates to those cash flow projections.<br />

In budgets that total less than $500,000.00, it may be determined that <strong>the</strong> largest amount<br />

of “idle monies” does not qualify, at any given time, for high-yield investments. Investment<br />

rates, comparable to those of locally available certificates of deposit, are usually offered by<br />

investment pools and are available on an everyday basis, without <strong>the</strong> requirements of a minimum<br />

initial investment or balance. Information on <strong>the</strong>se types of investment programs is included in<br />

this Manual.<br />

I-7

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!