“DLGS Legislative & Regulatory Update”

Christine Caruso, Deputy Director DLGS

2017 Rutgers Governmental Accounting & Auditing Update ConferenceNovember 30, 2017

State of New Jersey Department of Community Affairs

Division of Local Government Services

Agenda

Recent Local Finance Notices

Financial Automation Submission

and Tracking System (“FAST”)

The Future of FAST…and DLGS

Recent Local Finance Notices

Implementation of New County Entity Budget Cap (LFN 2017-03)

Municipal Budget Appropriations for Volunteer Fire Companies and Fire Districts (LFN 2017-6)

Issuance of Refunding Bonds Meeting Certain Conditions without Local Finance Board Approval (LFN 2017-9)

Certification of Available Funds: Recent Rule Changes by Local Finance Board (LFN 2017-10)

Water Infrastructure Protection Act (WIPA) & Water/Wastewater Public-Private Contracting Acts (LFN 2017-11)

Dedication of Revenue: Fees for Uniform Construction Code Enforcement (LFN 2017-15)

Environmental Infrastructure Trust: The “WISE” Act and Recent Program Changes (LFN 2017-16)

Municipal & County Budget Cap Information CY 2018 (LFN 2017-22)

Update on Various Fire District Matters (LFN 2017-23)

Financial Automation

Submission and Tracking

System (“FAST”)

Project Overview

Financial Automation Submission and Tracking system (FAST) DCA is replacing the current LGS Budgeting processes of

using Microsoft Excel spreadsheets and paper documents with an online system that will make the submission, review and approval more efficient and thorough.

DCA will be using Microsoft Dynamics 365 to provide workflows that will help manage LGS budgeting and reporting processes. Through public facing Portal web pages, Local Government

Entities (Municipalities, Counties, Authorities and Fire Districts) will be able and to submit their financial information to LGS. Data validation and system calculations will ensure that data is complete and within regulatory parameters.

Through the use of the Microsoft Dynamics Web Application, LGS auditors will have access to reports, dashboards and workflows, LGS will be able to approve, monitor and report on LGE budgets.

Data Submission: FAST Portal

Streamlined user-friendly cloud based portal to collect all

relevant Financial Data due to the Division of Local

Government Services

Allow for all Local Entities (Counties, Municipalities,

Authorities, Fire Districts) to electronically submit their

required financial data to DLGS

No need to download the latest version of Documents

Ability to import budget data from excel or financial

reporting system

Benefits of FAST

Single platform for all DLGS submissions: Audit

Corrective Action Plans

Annual Debt

Annual Financial Statement

Budget Chapter 159’s and other amendments

Emergencies

Change in Text & Title

Transfers

Supplemental Debt Statements

Fire, Authority, and Housing Authority Budget Workbooks

Benefits:

Electronic submission - create a user-friendly

cloud based portal for submission that would

allow local government entities to

electronically:

Upload

Complete

Submit documents (to include audits, budget,

financials and debt with supporting

documentation)

System will replace the current paper/Excel

submissions.

State Review & Approval Process:

Better communication – provide an electronic tracking system to

communicate status of document submissions, review and approvals

real-time.

More efficient and effective review of financial reports – The

Department of Community Affair’s Division of Local Government

Services (DLGS) will be able to pro-actively look for trends, signs of

financial distress, etc.

Improve auditing & review processes.

Improve reporting capabilities.

Provide better transparency to the public.

Eliminate the need to collect and store paper documents where

possible.

Accuracy:

Data verification - perform error checks and verify the appropriate data to the various sources prior to submission to minimize budget questions.

Transfer of data – automatically populate financial reports with certain data from DLGS (i.e. State aid amounts, reserves, debt, etc.)

Public data – assist local government units in providing public data such as budgets, AFS’s, ADS’s, Audits, etc.

Analytics:

Single platform – all DLGS submissions will

use a single platform (including Chapter 159’s,

transfers, emergencies, etc.).

Better availability of data – an automated

system will help centralize a tremendous

amount of data related to local municipal

government entities, an important tool for

understanding the services provided and the

cost of providing them (data mining).

Workgroup

The State has assembled a Workgroup

Taskforce of local officials from Municipalities,

Counties, Authorities, Fire Districts, Auditors,

Professional Organizations and State

personnel to help develop, review and Beta

test the system.

The Process

The Local Entity will log into the web-based portal and

enter and upload their data.

We are working with local vendors to create export

capabilities to upload info into the system and eliminate

redundant input.

System Access

LGS

LGEs

Public

• User Authentication Required• Custom Reports• Data• Dashboards• Workflows

• User Authentication Required

• Forms• Data Import• PDF Reports• Workflows

• PDF Reports• No User Authentication

Required

Dynamics Web PortalDynamics 365

Accessing Portal

After registering, use the same URL

https://njdca-dev.dynamics365portals.us

Click the Sign In button and enter your user name & password

Click Sign In

Navigation

Home

Main FAST Navigation

Sign In

Navigation: FAST

List of LGEs

Quick access to Fire Budget / LGE

Detail for specific LGE

Navigation: FAST

Click arrow next to FAST to access:

LGE

Fire Budget

Annual Financial Statements

Supplemental Debt Statements

Annual Debt Statements

Hierarchical Structure in FAST

Selecting LGE

LGE Information

Selecting Document

Select Annual

Financial

Statements or Fire

Budgets (more to

come!)

This will view all

forms you have

access to view

View & Edit Existing Document

System will open

to the Information

page

Navigate through

other sections

using the left-hand

navigation

Editing Fields

Fields you CAN edit

Open, white box

Fields you CANNOT edit

No white boxes –

cannot click in field

Automatically

calculated

Adding data to a Subsidiary Ledger

Click Add button

Enter details in

pop-up window

Click Save

In-Depth Look at Budget Sections

Navigate through

different areas of

the Fire Budget

using the left-hand

navigation areas (in

blue)

Revenue (F-2)

Mix of fields where you can add data, read-only calculated fields and subsidiary ledgers

Add data / rows to subsidiary ledgers

At bottom, click Save

Appropriations (F-3)

Mix of fields where you can add data, read-only calculated fields and subsidiary ledgers

Add data / rows to subsidiary ledger

At bottom, click Save

Health Benefits (N-5)

Two editable fields: Is medical coverage provided by the SHBP? (Yes/No) and Is prescription drug coverage provided by the SHBP? (Yes/No)

Remainder are read-only calculated fields and subsidiary ledgers

At bottom, click Save

Accumulated Absence (N-6)

One subsidiary

ledger with one

calculated field

After adding data

to subsidiary

ledgers, click Save

at bottom

Levy Cap Summary (F-10)

No fields to be

manually entered

All fields in this

section will be

automatically

calculated and are

read-only

Levy Cap Calculation Summary

Enter data for all

fields

Projected Tax

Rate based on

Proposed Levy

will automatically

calculate after you

click Save

Shared Services (F-11)

One subsidiary

ledger & read-only

calculated fields

After adding data

to subsidiary

ledger, click Save

at bottom

Notes & Attachments

View any Notes or

Attachments that

have been added to

this Fire Budget

More importantly:

Generate

Budget

Document here!

Just click the

button:

Generate Fire Budget Report

Click on the Notes

and Attachments

section

Click the Generate

Budget Document

button at the

bottom

Generate a Report

Timeline

Municipalities & Counties: CY 2018 and SFY 2019 Budget

Submission

Fire Districts: 2019 Budget Submission (Pilot program for

2018 Budget Submission)

Authority Budgets – June 30, 2019 year end Budget

Submissions (Pilot Program for earlier year ends)

Training

Webinars

Open Office Hours

User Manuals

Help Desk Support

** Details to be announced soon. Updates will be sent via

GovConnect and posted at:

http://www.nj.gov/dca/divisions/dlgs/fast.html

The Future of FAST

…and DLGS

Questions?