3/25/09

Scott Dermont, IA

Question:

I have a question about what we are actually asking for in regards to operating revenue. Our current survey has a question asking for both revenue received, and revenue expended as operating income. From what I can tell we are actually reporting the amount that is being spend as operating revenue. This seems wrong to me. I would think we should be reporting revenue received not revenue spent. We report the expenditures as well so I am a bit confused.

I am in the process of updating our survey for next year, so I’d really like to get it fixed. I just want to make sure I am not reading something incorrectly in the PLSC definitions. Here are examples of what our current questions look like.

“Federal Government Income, Received.”

“Federal Government Income, Actually expended as operating income.”

It appears as though the second line is actually the one being reported on the federal level. My proposal is to just use the first line and remove the second line completely.

I appreciate any help and enlightenment that I can get on this question.

Comments:

Michael Golrick, LA

I guess we divide our differently. We have Operating Revenue and Expenses and Capital Revenue and Expenses. Within income there is Local, State, Federal, and Other. The Expenses are by type not source of revenue. It is a little more detail than the reporting requirements, but we can easily report the aggregated amounts for the federal report.

Howard Boksenbaum, RI

We collect operating revenue by source and operating expenditure by object of expenditure. 

Similarly, we collect capital revenue by source and total capital expenditure.

Although there are always some fuzzy areas, especially around computer equipment, in most cases, it is clear:  large onetime expenses are capital and the funds they are paid for from are assembled from capital revenue.

This seems to fit with PLSC definitions as well.

Edie Huffman, IN

Indiana does the same as Rhode Island. 

Dianne Carty, MA

Ditto for Massachusetts.