Budget Glossary

Word Definition
Balanced Budget A budget with revenues that equal or exceed expenditures. In Iowa, cities are required to adopt a balanced budget.
Capital Project Funds These funds account for resources used for major projects, buildings, and infrastructure.
Debt Service Fund The payment on City debt, except for Enterprise Fund debt.
Enterprise Fund The costs of providing goods or services to the general public, covered primarily through user fees (like water or sewer fees).
Fiscal Year Coralville's Fiscal Year is July 1-June 30.
Fund Governmental funds operate like individual accounts.
Some funds track a single source of revenue or type of expenditure.
Other funds are for a single purpose, but have several sources of revenue and several types of expenditures.
General Fund The City's chief operating fund, which includes revenues from sources that are not required by law to be deposited elsewhere.
Rollback The taxable percentage of a property's assessed value; this amount is set by the State of Iowa.
Special Revenue Funds Proceeds from specific sources that are usually required by law to be accounted for in separate funds and used for specific purposes.

Examples include road use taxes, property taxes levied for retirement and benefits, tax increment financing (TIF) revenues, and most grants.