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Posts for Fund Balance and Reserves

Couch Cushions or Redirecting Investment Interest? Finding New Ways to Bolster Your General Fund

June 3, 2026  by  Cheryl Grant
Category:  Fund Balance and Reserves ,  Investments

Sweeping interest, or moving interest earned from a specific fund into a general one, can give an agency more unrestricted resources. What are the restrictions or considerations an agency should take into account before sweeping interest?

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A Primer on Local Government Funds

May 7, 2025  by  Cheryl Grant
Category:  Fund Balance and Reserves

Does your local government need a special fund for an investment trust? How about for capital projects, enterprise, or debt service? The number and types of funds a local agency's budget includes should be tailored to that agency's needs and circumstances.

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Which Financial Policies Work Best? 'It Depends.'

April 26, 2017  by  Mike Bailey
Category:  Financial Management ,  Fund Balance and Reserves

What is the right level of fund balance for local government? For many reasons, "It depends" is the best place to start when answering that question. 

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Does Your City have Too Many Funds?

April 14, 2016  by  Randy Hinchliffe
Category:  Guest Author ,  Budgets and Budgeting ,  Financial Management ,  Fund Balance and Reserves

Not too long ago, I read a short tidbit in one of the local newspapers about the adoption of a nearby city’s budget. I was struck by the fact that the city had 28 different funds in its budget. With so many funds to account for, it got me thinking about the criteria for establishing funds and when a city might have too many funds.

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