02-10-16 Regular Meeting of the La Porte Area Water Authority

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DRAFT LA PORTE AREA WATER AUTHORITY NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS SEPTEMBER 30, 2015 I. CREATION OF AUTHORITY The LaPorte Area Water Authority (the "Authority) was created on May 30, 1981 by Chapter 729, Page 2678, Acts of the 67 h Legislature of the State of Texas. This bill authorizes the Authority to purchase, construct or otherwise acquire waterworks systems, sanitary sewer systems, storm sewer systems and drainage facilities or parts of such systems of facilities and to operate and maintain such facilities. The Authority is authorized to set rates for services related to the aforementioned systems and facilities, and issue revenue bonds for the purpose of acquiring and maintaining such systems. The Authority comprises approximately 20,600 acres in Harris County, Texas. II. SUMMARY OF SIGINIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES The accounting policies of the Authority conform with generally accepted accounting principles. The following is a summary of the most significant policies: A. Reporting Entity Generally accepted accounting principles for local governments include those principles prescribed by the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB), the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants in the publication entitled Audits of State and Local Governmental Units and by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (when applicable). GASB Statement 62, Codification of Accounting and Financial Reporting Guidance Contained in Pre -November 30, 1989 FASB and AICPA Pronouncements ("GASB 62"), which incorporates into the GASB's authoritative literature certain accounting and financial reporting guidance that is included in the following pronouncements issued on or before November 30, 1989, which does not conflict on contradict GASB pronouncements: 1) Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) Statements and Interpretations; 2) Accounting Principles Board Opinions; 3) Accounting Research Bulletins of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants' (AICPA) Committee on Accounting Procedure. Implementation of GASB 62 is reflected in the financial statements and notes to the financial statements. Consideration regarding the potential for inclusion for other entities, organizations or functions in the Authority's financial reporting entity is based on criteria prescribed by generally accepted accounting principles. These same criteria are evaluated in considering whether the Authority is a part of any other governmental or other type of reporting entity. Criteria for determining component unit status under generally accepted accounting principles included considerations pertaining to organizations for which the primary government is financially accountable and considerations pertaining to other organizations for which the nature and significance of their relationship with the primary government are such that exclusion would cause the reporting entity's financial statements to be misleading or incomplete. 11