This webinar is designed to help local government employees (counties, cities, towns, villages, fire districts, joint activities and special purpose units) understand the necessary financial data for completing their Annual Financial Reports (AFR) and where to obtain this data when formal accounting records are limited or unavailable. The AFR informs local officials, residents, other taxpayers, and State policymakers about the financial condition of New York's local governments, which is vital for transparency. OSC audits have found that lack of reporting is often an indicator of poor record-keeping and other troubling financial practices, which often lead to fiscal difficulties going unnoticed. Catching up on a delinquent report is not an easy task and can become increasingly time-consuming with each subsequent year the entity hasn’t filed. Finance staff often contend with limited availability of accounting records and may need to rely on source documents to effectively organize the necessary information. If your Local Government is behind on their AFR filing, this webinar should be used in conjunction with contacting our Data Management Unit and should not be used as a stand-alone resource.