In determining whether the General Fund budget, in any given fiscal year, is in a surplus or deficit condition, the controlling factor shall be the fund balance which is the difference between total resources and total expenditures. In determining the fund balance, the following principles shall be applied:

(a) Encumbrances, which are any valid obligation for the delivery of goods or services, should not be counted as a budgetary expenditure until the delivery of the goods or services.

Terms Used In California Government Code 13307

  • Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
  • Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.

(b) The unencumbered balances of appropriations, which exist when no commitment for an expenditure is made, should be an item of disclosure, but the amount should not be deducted from the fund balance.

(c) Changes affecting a budget subsequent to publication of financial statements, such as actions to disencumber funds, should be reflected in budget documents after documentation is provided.

(Added by Stats. 1990, Ch. 1238, Sec. 2. Effective September 24, 1990.)

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