GASB has issued Statement No. 101, “Compensated Absences,” and it goes into effect for your government’s fiscal year 2025 financial statements. It replaces the old guidance under GASB 16 with a single, unified model for how leave is recognized and measured. Here’s a plain-language look at what’s…
GASB has issued Statement No. 96, “Subscription-Based Information Technology Arrangements,” and it goes into effect for your government’s fiscal year 2023 financial statements. Subscriptions to software have become more predominant, and purchasing licenses outright has become less common. First,…
Instead of changing how governments account for money, GASB 103, “Financial Reporting Model Improvements,” refines how financial information is presented and explained to readers. Governments should view GASB 103 as a financial reporting and communication improvement standard, one that aligns…
If your local government or school district spends federal dollars, you operate under the Uniform Guidance, Title 2 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 200. In April 2024, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued its most significant revisions to this guidance in years, and Ohio’s…
Every year, a number of Ohio local government officials and employees are required to file an annual Financial Disclosure Statement (FDS) with the Ohio Ethics Commission. It’s an easy requirement to overlook, and the deadline has a way of sneaking up. Here’s a short refresher on who files, when,…
Artificial intelligence is already finding its way into the day-to-day work of local governments, often before anyone has decided how it should be used. Staff are experimenting with AI tools to draft documents, answer questions, and speed up routine tasks. That isn’t a bad thing. But without a…
In a lot of small governments, one person collects the money, enters it, cuts the checks, and reconciles the bank account. Here is a practical look at segregation of duties, the CARR test, and controls that work when you are short on staff.