2004 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report

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COUNTY -CITY BUILUNG 227 W. JEFFERSON BLVD. Sou,m BEND, INDIANA 46601 -1830 CITY OF SOUTH BEND STEPHEN J. LuscK ., IV AYOR PHONE 5 74123 5-9216 FAx 5741235 -9928 TDD 5741235 -5567 .DEPARTMENT OF ADMINISTRATION AND FINANCE M. CATHERINE BANELLo CONTROLUR June 6, 2005 To the Honorable Mayor Stephen J. Luecke, Members of the City Council, and the Residents of the City of South Bend: The comprehensive annual financial report of the City of South Bend, Indiana (the "City ") for the year ended December 31, 2004, is hereby submitted. Responsibility for both the accuracy of the data and the completeness and fairness of the presentation, including all disclosures, rests with the City. To the best of our knowledge and belief, the enclosed data is accurate in all material respects and is reported in a manner designed to present fairly the financial position and results of operations of the various funds and account groups of the City. All disclosures necessary to enable the reader to gain an understanding of the government's financial activities have been included. GAAP requires that management provide a narrative introduction, overview and analysis to accompany the basic financial statements in the form of the Management Discussion and Analysis (MD &A). This letter of transmittal is designed to complement the MD &A and should be read in conjunction with it. The City of South Bend's MD &A can be found immediately following the independent auditors report. The comprehensive annual financial report is presented in four sections: introductory information, financial information, statistical information and federal awards supplemental information. The introductory section includes this transmittal letter, the City's organizational chart, a list of principal City officials and the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting awarded to the City of South Bend for the year ended December 31, 2003. The financial section begins with the independent auditors' report on the City's financial statements and schedules, the City's management and analysis report, followed by the City's basic financial statements and accompanying footnotes. The remaining portion of this section includes the combining and individual fund and account group financial statements and schedules. The statistical section includes selected financial and demographic information generally presented on a multi -year basis, which has been provided to give the reader a broader understanding of the City. This document ends with the federal awards section, which includes the results of the supplemental audit of the City's federal awards and the internal controls necessary for compliance. The City is required to undergo an annual single audit in conformity with the provisions of the U.S. Office of Management and Budget Circular A -133, Audits of States Local Governments v