You have just been hired as an accountant for a large metropolitan city in the eastern part of the country. Your first assignment is to assist the finance director in the preparation of a “popular report.” The city has long been concerned with the difficulty that most citizens have in understanding its comprehensive annual financial report. The finance director tells you that she saw Hillsborough County, Florida’s popular report at a conference and was quite impressed.

 
a. Obtain a copy of Hillsborough County’s popular report by going to www.hillsclerk.com. Click on Clerks in the Sunshine, Financial Reports-County, and Financial Summary Report Also try to obtain popular reports of other local governments by using an internet search engine.
b. Evaluate the usefulness of the popular reports you are able to obtain from the perspective of a citizen. In particular, focus on financial accounting information. Do you have adequate information to determine whether the government has a strong financial position and condition? Does the government report any non-financial performance information? Explain.