Local governments

By Toni Nelson and Steve Hawley,
Municipal Research and Services Center

A “bank sweep” is a process where you check with financial institutions to make sure no bank accounts exist for your organization that you aren't aware of.

In June 2017, the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) issued Statement No. 87, a new accounting and reporting standard regarding leases.

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) Statement 75, Accounting and Reporting for OPEB is effective for the Reporting Year 2018 (this year!). OPEB, or post-employment benefits other than pension, includes benefits such as healthcare provided through a pension plan or separately (medical, dental, vision, hearing, etc.) and other benefits when provided separately from a pension plan, such as: life insurance, long-term care, disability, and more.

Spring will be here before you know it, and so will the annual report deadline for local governments whose fiscal year ends December 31, 2018. For those governments, annual reports are due May 30, 2019.

If you are a local government in Washington state, you may be aware of RCW 39.34.030, which allows governments to use other agencies' contracts to buy goods and services – also called “piggybacking.” But what you mig

The results from our recent cybersecurity survey are in, and they reveal governments of all sizes across Washington recognize the importance of cybersecurity. However, the majority of the governments we polled lack dedicated IT staff, let alone dedicated cybersecurity staff.

Local governments should ensure they protect against cybersecurity frauds in which an employee's direct deposit payroll gets redirected to a fraudster's bank account.

Small governments, big focus

The Performance Center's years of working with local governments all across Washington