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City of Orono, Minnesota <br />Notes to the Financial Statements <br />December 31, 2024 <br /> <br />Note 1: Summary of Significant Accounting Policies <br />A. Reporting Entity <br />The City of Orono (the City) operates under the State of Minnesota Statutory Plan A form of government. Under this plan, <br />the City Council, composed of an elected mayor and four elected trustees or council members, exercises legislative <br />authority and determines all matters of policy. The City Administrator, appointed by the City Council, is responsible for the <br />proper administering of all affairs relating to the City. <br />The City has considered all potential units for which it is financially accountable, and other organizations for which the <br />statements to be misleading or incomplete. The City includes all funds, organizations, institutions, agencies, departments, <br />and offices that are not legally separate from such. Component units are legally separate organizations for which the <br />elected officials of the City are financially accountable and are included within the basic financial statements of the City <br />because of their operational or financial relationships with the City. The Governmental Accounting Standards Board <br />(GASB) has set forth criteria to be considered in determining financial accountability. These criteria include appointing a <br /> <br />organization or (2) the potential for the organization to provide specific benefits to, or impose specific financial burdens <br />on the primary government. <br />following blended component unit. <br />Blended Component Unit <br />The Orono Housing and Redevelopment Authority (Orono HRA) is a legally separate organization created in accordance <br />with Minnesota Statute § 469.003. Its purpose is to clear and redevelop blighted areas within the City and to provide <br />adequate housing for low- and moderate-income residents. The Orono HRA meets the requirements for a blended <br />component unity because the HRA is fiscally dependent <br />mayor and council members and is substantially the same as the city council. Therefore, the Orono HRA has been <br />reported as a blended component unit of the City, with its funds reported as though they are funds of the City. The <br />financial activity at this time is limited to debt payments within the Orono HRA debt service funds, namely the public <br />facilities and project revenue bonds. <br />B. Government-wide and Fund Financial Statements <br /> <br />The government-wide financial statements (i.e., the statement of net position and the statement of activities) report <br />information on all of the nonfiduciary activities of the primary government. Governmental activities, which normally are <br />supported by taxes and intergovernmental revenues, are reported separately from business-type activities, which rely to a <br />significant extent on fees and charges for support. <br />The statement of activities demonstrates the degree to which the direct expenses of a given function or segment are <br />offset by program revenues. Direct expenses are those that are clearly identifiable with a specific function or segment. <br />Amounts reported as program revenues include 1) charges to customers or applicants who purchase, use, or directly <br />benefit from goods, services, or privileges provided by a given function or segment and 2) grants and contributions that <br />are restricted to meeting the operational or capital requirements of a particular function or segment. Taxes and other <br />items not included among program revenues are reported instead as general revenues. <br />Separate financial statements are provided for governmental funds and proprietary funds. Major individual governmental <br />funds and major individual enterprise funds are reported as separate columns in the fund financial statements. <br /> <br />53 80