VILLAGE OF BUFFALO GROVE Department of Finance & General Services Fifty Raupp Blvd. Buffalo Grove, IL. 60089-2100 Phone 847-459-2500 Fax 847-459-0332
August 5, 2021 The Honorable Beverly Sussman Members of the Village Board Citizens of the Village of Buffalo Grove The Comprehensive Annual Financial Report of the Village of Buffalo Grove for the year ended December 31, 2020 is submitted herewith. This report represents a comprehensive picture of the Village’s financial activities during Fiscal Year 2020 and the financial condition of its various funds at December 31, 2020. State law requires that all generalpurpose local governments publish within six months of the close of each fiscal year a complete set of financial statements presented in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) and audit in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards by a firm of licensed certified public accountants. Management assumes full responsibility for the completeness and reliability of all of the information presented in the report based upon a comprehensive internal control framework. Because the cost of internal controls should not outweigh their benefits, the Village’s comprehensive framework of internal controls has been designed to provide reasonable rather than absolute assurance that the financial statements will be free from material misstatement. Lauterbach & Amen, Independent Certified Public Accountants, have issued an unmodified (clean) opinion on the Village’s financial statements for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020. The independent auditors’ report is presented at the front of the financial section of this report. GAAP requires that management provide a narrative introduction, overview, and analysis to accompany the basic financial statements in the form of a Management’s Discussion and Analysis (MD&A). The letter of transmittal is designated to complement the MD&A and should be read in conjunction with it. The Village of Buffalo Grove’s MD&A can be found immediately following the report of the independent auditors. Profile of the Village of Buffalo Grove The Village of Buffalo Grove was incorporated March 7, 1958, and is located approximately 29 miles northwest of the downtown of the City of Chicago. The Village resides in both Cook and Lake Counties and spans 9.2 square miles and, based on the 2010 U.S. Census, serves a population of 41,496. The Village of Buffalo Grove is empowered to levy a property tax on real property located within its boundaries. It is also empowered by state statute to extend its corporate limits by annexation, which it has done from time to time. The Village became a home rule unit by referendum on July 1, 1980, giving it additional powers to tax and regulate in ways not specifically granted, or prohibited, by the Illinois Constitution. As a home rule entity, the Village has no tax rate or debt limits, nor is it required to conduct a referendum to authorize the issuance of debt or to increase property taxes. The Village operates under a Council/Manager form of government. Policy making and legislative authority are vested with the Village Board, which consists of a President and a six member Board of Trustees. The Village Board is responsible for passing ordinances and resolutions, adopting the annual budget, appointing committees, and hiring the Village’s Manager and Attorney. The Village Manager is responsible for carrying out the policies, ordinances and resolutions of the Village Board, developing and presenting an annual budget, overseeing the day-to-day operations of the Village, and appointing department directors.
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