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                                                       CITY OF MUSKEGON,
                                                                 MICHIGAN








                                                          COMPREHENSIVE
                                                ANNUAL FINANCIAL REPORT
                                                      FOR THE YEAR ENDED
                                                        DECEMBER 31, 2003







                                                               Prepared By

                                              FINANCIAL SERVICES DIVISION

                                                               Timothy Paul
                                                          Director of Finance


          Elizabeth Lewis                                                                        Derrick Smith
          Assistant Finance Director                                                             City Treasurer

          Kenneth Grant                                                                          James Maurer
          Income Tax Administrator                                                               Information Systems Director
                                                                                                            
                                                             Candace Baker
                                                             Kathy Coleman



                            COMPREHENSIVE ANNUAL FINANCIAL REPORT
                                                       City of Muskegon
                                                     December 31, 2003

                                                  TABLE OF CONTENTS
                                                                 
I.  INTRODUCTORY SECTION

Letter of Transmittal. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting. . . . . . . . .  12
Organization Chart. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
List of Principal Officials. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

II.  FINANCIAL SECTION

Independent Auditors' Report. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  17
Management's Discussion and Analysis. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Financial Statements
   Government-Wide Financial Statements
      Statement of Net Assets. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
    Statement of Activities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  33
   Fund Financial Statements                                                                                                
      Balance Sheet ­ Governmental Funds. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  34
      Reconciliation of Total Governmental Fund Balances to Net
         Assets of Governmental Activities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  35
     Statement of Revenues, Expenditures and Changes in Fund
         Balances ­ Governmental Funds. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  36
     Reconciliation of the Statement of Revenues, Expenditures and
       Changes in Fund Balances of Governmental Funds to the 
        Statement of Activities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
      Statement of Fund Net Assets ­ Proprietary Funds. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  38
      Statement of Revenues, Expenses and Changes in Fund Net
         Assets ­ Proprietary Funds. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
      Statement of Cash Flows ­ Proprietary Funds. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
     Statement of Fiduciary Net Assets ­ Fiduciary Funds. . . . . . . . . . . . . .  41
      Statement of Changes in Fiduciary Net Assets ­ Fiduciary Funds. . . . 42
     Statement of Net Assets ­ Discretely Presented Component Units. . . . 43
     Statement of Activities ­ Discretely Presented Component Units. . . . . . 44
      Balance Sheet ­ Discretely Presented Component Units. . . . . . . . . . . .  45
      Reconciliation of Total Discretely Presented Component Unit Fund
         Balances to Net Assets of Discretely Presented Component Unit
         Activities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   46
      Statement of Revenues, Expenditures and Changes in Fund 
          Balances ­ Discretely Presented Component Units. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
      Reconciliation of the Statement of Revenues, Expenditures and
         Changes in Fund Balances of Discretely Presented Component 
         Units to the Statement of Activities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  48



                             COMPREHENSIVE ANNUAL FINANCIAL REPORT
                                                City of Muskegon
                                               December 31, 2003

                                 TABLE OF CONTENTS ­ CONTINUED

     Notes to Financial Statements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Required Supplementary Information
    Schedule of Revenues, Expenditures and Changes in Fund
     Balances ­ Budget and Actual
      General Fund. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  80
      Major Special Revenue Funds. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
   Schedule of Funding Progress and Employer Contributions ­ 
     Pension Schedules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84

Supplemental Financial Information 
   Non-Major Governmental Funds
       Description of Non-Major Governmental Funds. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    86    
      Combining Balance Sheet. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  88
      Combining Statement of Revenues, Expenditures and Changes
        in Fund Balances. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
      Combining Balance Sheet ­ Non-Major Special Revenue Funds. . . . .  90
      Combining Statement of Revenues, Expenditures and Changes
        in Fund Balances ­ Non-Major Special Revenue Funds. . . . . . . . . .                              91
     Statement of Revenues, Expenditures and Changes in Fund 
        Balances ­ Budget and Actual - Non-Major 
         Special Revenue Funds. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    92
      Combining Balance Sheet ­ Non-Major Debt Service Funds. . . . . . . .                                94
      Combining Statement of Revenues, Expenditures and Changes
        in Fund Balances ­ Non-Major Debt Service Funds. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
      Combining Balance Sheet ­ Non-Major Capital Projects Funds. . . . . .  96
      Combining Statement of Revenues, Expenditures and Changes
        in Fund Balances ­ Non-Major Capital Projects Funds. . . . . . . . . . . . . 97      

   Internal Service Funds
      Description of Internal Service Funds. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
      Combining Statement of Fund Net Assets. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
      Combining Statement of Revenues, Expenses and Changes
        in Fund Net Assets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .101
      Combining Statement of Cash Flows. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102

   Fiduciary Funds
      Description of Fiduciary Funds. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
      Pension Trust Funds
         Combining Statement of Plan Net Assets. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
         Combining Statement of Changes in Plan Net Assets. . . . . . . . . . . . .105



                          COMPREHENSIVE ANNUAL FINANCIAL REPORT
                                                 City of Muskegon
                                                December 31, 2003

                                  TABLE OF CONTENTS ­ CONTINUED

      Agency Funds
         Combining Balance Sheet. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
         Statement of Changes in Assets and Liabilities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107

   Schedule of Indebtness. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110 
 

III. STATISTICAL SECTION 

General Fund Revenues and Other Financing Sources by Source. . . . . . .  114
General Fund Expenditures and Other Uses by Function. . . . . . . . . . . . . .  115
Assessed and Estimated Actual Value of Taxable Property. . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Ten Largest Property Assessments. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Ten Largest Taxpayers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Tax Rates per $1,000 State Equalized Valuation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Property Tax Levies and Collections. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .120
Special Assessment Levies and Collections. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .121
Statement of Bonded Indebtedness. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Statement of Legal Debt Margin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Statement of Direct and Overlapping Debt. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Ratio of Debt Service for General Bonded Debt to
 Total General Fund Expenditures and Other Uses. . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 125
Revenue Bond Coverage
      Sewage Disposal System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  126
      Water Supply System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  127
Ratio of Net Bonded Debt to Assessed Value and
      Net Bonded Debt Per Capita. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  128
Property Values, Construction Activity and Bank Deposits. . . . . . . . . . . . . .129
Demographic Statistics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Labor Agreements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Schedule of Insurance in Force. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  134
Salaries of Principal Officials. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  135




  



                                    CITY OF MUSKEGON, MICHIGAN
                                     LIST OF PRINCIPAL OFFICIALS

                                               December 31, 2003



                                             ELECTED OFFICIALS


Mayor-Commissioner. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Steve Warmington
At Large

Vice Mayor-Commissioner. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . William Larson
At Large
 Commissioner. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Chris Carter
Ward 1

Commissioner. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Clara Shepherd
Ward 2

Commissioner. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Lawrence O. Spataro
Ward 3

Commissioner. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Robert A. Schweifler
Ward 4

Commissioner. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Stephen J. Gawron
At Large



                                           APPOINTED OFFICIALS


City Manager. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bryon L. Mazade

City Attorney. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . John C. Schrier

Director of Finance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Timothy J. Paul



March 15, 2004


Honorable Mayor and Members of the
City Commission
City of Muskegon
Muskegon, Michigan 49443


Ladies and Gentlemen:

We are pleased to present to you the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR)
for the City of Muskegon, Michigan, for the year ended December 31, 2003, in
accordance with the requirements of state law. The financial statements are presented
in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), and audited in
accordance with generally accepted auditing standards by a firm of licensed certified
public accountants. This annual report is formatted to comply with the financial
reporting model developed by the Government Accounting Standards Board (GASB)
Statement 34. 

GAAP requires that management provide a narrative introduction, overview, and
analysis to accompany the basic financial statements in the form of Management's
Discussion and Analysis (MD&A). This letter of transmittal is designed to complement
MD&A and should be read in conjunction with the financial statements. The City of
Muskegon's MD&A can be found immediately following the independent auditor's
report.

The City has elected not to report historic infrastructure or related depreciation costs in
this report as allowed by GASB 34.  GASB 34 requires that this information be
included in the City's CAFR by the year ending December 31, 2007; the City, however,
intends to report this information in its 2004 CAFR.
The Comprehensive Annual Financial Report is prepared by the City's Finance
Department and responsibility for both the accuracy of the data presented and the
completeness and fairness of the presentation, including all disclosures, rests with the
City.  We believe the data as presented is accurate in all material respects; that it is
presented in a manner designed to set forth fairly the financial position and results of
operation of the City as measured by the financial activity of its various funds and
component units; and that all disclosures necessary to enable the reader to gain the
maximum understanding of the City's finances have been included.  Hoffman,
Steensma & Plamondon, P.L.C., Certified Public Accountants, performed the
independent audit of all accounts of the City as required by state law, and their report



and unqualified opinion is presented as the first component of the financial section of
this report.

THE CITY AND THE REGION

The City of Muskegon is located in Western Michigan on the shores of Lake Michigan.
The City covers eighteen square miles and, with a population of 40,105, is the largest
city on the Eastern Shore of Lake Michigan.  The City is located within the County of
Muskegon and is part of the vibrant Grand Rapids-Muskegon-Holland metropolitan
statistical area (MSA):

     According to Site Selection magazine's 2001 annual nationwide survey of
   corporate locations, the Grand Rapids-Muskegon-Holland MSA ranked seventh in
   the country with 223 new and expanded facilities.

     With West Michigan's diverse industrial sector and excellent intergovernmental
   cooperation, the area has ranked in the top 30 out of 315 metropolitan communities
   in Industry Week's World Class Community annual survey for five consecutive
   years.
     The Muskegon-Grand Rapids-Holland area finished 13th in a national ranking of
   the 50 best large metropolitan areas for starting and growing a business. The
   survey produced annually by Cognetics Inc., a Waltham, Massachusetts-based
   economics research firm, compares the business climates in communities by
   analyzing significant new business starts and looking at the growth rate of young
   businesses.
     West Michigan is a fun place to be! Places Rated Almanac ranked the area No. 3
   in the fun and recreation category.
     Muskegon's Pere Marquette beach has been nationally recognized as one of the
   best beaches in the nation by USA Today and was the only beach in the state to
   receive and maintain the Blue Wave Certification by the Clean Beaches Council.
   The Blue Wave certification identifies the nation's cleanest, safest and most
   environmentally well-managed beaches. In April 2003, The Detroit News voted
   Muskegon's Beaches #1 as the "Best Place to Run Sand Between Your Toes".
     Muskegon has become a cultural hub for West Michigan with many museums and
   live performances. The Muskegon Museum of Art has the third best art collection in
   the Midwest, and the Muskegon County Museum provides insight into the area's
   history. The former residences of Muskegon's lumber barons, Charles H. Hackley
   and Thomas Hume, proudly display the glory of the Victorian ages. The Fire Barn
   Museum takes visitors back to a 1890s Muskegon Fire Station. The West Shore
   Symphony and Muskegon Civic Theater bring the stage of The Frauenthal Center
   for the Performing Arts to life throughout the year. The Great Lakes Naval
   Memorial and Museum allows visitors to step back in time and tour the USS
   Silversides, a surviving World War II submarine.

The City operates under a Commission-Manager form of government and provides the
full range of traditional municipal services.  These include police and fire protection,



parks and recreation activities, public works operations, water and sewer services,
parking facilities, solid waste collection, community development and general
administrative support services.  The City also provides treated water to a number of
surrounding communities on a wholesale basis.

COMPONENT UNITS

The City has one blended component unit, the Muskegon Building Authority/Tax
Increment Finance Authority, a separate legal entity that uses the proceeds of its tax-
exempt bonds to finance construction of certain general fixed assets for the City.  The
bonds are secured by lease agreement with the City and retired from lease payments
made by the City.

The City also has discretely presented component units.  These entities are discretely
presented in the financial statements as the governing boards of the component units
are substantially the same as the City's governing board:

     The Downtown Development Authority for redevelopment activities in the City's
   downtown area.  Bonds are repaid through tax increment revenues generated  by
   development within the Authority's boundaries.

     The Local Development Finance Authority issues bonds for development activities
   in the City's industrial park and high-tech park areas.  Bonds are repaid through tax
   increment revenues generated by development within the Authority's boundaries.
   The City has created three separate local development finance authority districts
   under the aegis of the Local Development Finance Authority (LDFA).

LOCAL ECONOMIC CONDITION AND OUTLOOK

Muskegon is fortunate to have a diverse local economy.  The manufacturing sector is
strong in the areas of aerospace, chemicals, plastics, metals and castings, office
furniture and automotive parts.  The City of Muskegon also benefits from being home
to large government, corrections, healthcare, and educational employers.  The local
income tax withholdings remitted by these employers help provide stability to City
finances in times of economic weakness. According to the W.E. Upjohn Institute,
employment growth for Muskegon County in 2003 was 0.2% (measured by place of
employment) and 1.8% (measured by place of residence).  The employment growth
rate is projected to be ­0.1% in 2004 rebounding to 0.9% in 2005.

MAJOR INITIATIVES AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Among the City's major initiatives and accomplishments in 2003 were the following:
     Lake Express LLC announced new high-speed cross-lake ferry service linking
   Muskegon with Milwaukee, Wisconsin was announced.  Service will begin in June
   2004 with three roundtrip lake crossings each day.  The City assisted in this project
   by committing to provide parking and certain site improvements at an estimated



   cost of $1.2 million. Conservative projections show that at least 100,000 visitors will
   disembark the ferry in Muskegon each season.

     Work was completed on infrastructure improvements for "Edison Landing" a state-
   designated "Smartzone" on Muskegon's downtown lakefront. The Muskegon
   Smartzone initiative is a joint venture between the Michigan Economic
   Development Corporation, Grand Valley State University (GVSU), the City of
   Muskegon, and private developers. The site is anchored by GVSU's Michigan
   Alternate Resource Energy Center (MAREC) which was opened in November
   2003. This facility focuses academic and private sector resources on the
   development and commercialization of alternate energy sources.  The City, through
   its Local Development Finance Authority, assisted in this project through issuance
   of $4.725 million of bonds for construction of MAREC. When complete, the
   Muskegon Lakeshore Smartzone will include premier office space, retail, and
   residential living.

     Work continued on construction of the $12 million extension of Shoreline Drive.
   When completed in July 2004, the new road will be designated as Business US-31
   and will route 23,000 vehicles along the city's downtown waterfront and the
   previously mentioned Edison Landing project each day.

     Demolition work was started on the former Downtown Mall property.  When
   cleared, this 21-acre site will be developed as mixed-use residential and
   commercial site.  The Downtown Muskegon Development Corporation is
   spearheading the development and the City is assisting through the granting of a
   tax-free "renaissance zone" status and through limited financial participation in the
   construction of necessary infrastructure improvements.

     Work began on renovation of a former office equipment manufacturing plant into
   loft-style apartment/condominium units.  The plant comprises nearly one million
   square feet of space and is well suited for residential living being located directly
   across from the  downtown municipal marina and waterfront.


OTHER INFORMATION

INTERNAL ACCOUNTING CONTROLS
The City's management is responsible for establishing and maintaining an internal
control structure that is designed to ensure adequate protection of the City's assets
from loss, theft, or misuse, and adequate accounting data to allow for preparation of
financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles. The
internal control structure is designed to provide reasonable, but not absolute
assurance that these objectives are met. The concept of reasonable assurance
recognizes that (1) the costs of a control should not exceed the benefits likely to be
derived; and (2) the valuation of costs and benefits requires estimates and judgments
by management.



All internal control evaluations occur within the above framework.  We believe that the
City's internal accounting controls adequately safeguard assets and provide
reasonable assurances of proper recording of financial transactions.  Also, in
conjunction with this year's audit, the City's independent auditors implemented new
procedures and tests in accordance with Statement on Auditing Standards (SAS) No.
99 Consideration of Fraud in a Financial Statement Audit.

BUDGETARY CONTROL

Budgetary control is maintained through an annual budget resolution passed by the
City Commission.  Budgetary control at the functional level is maintained by review of
estimated expenditures prior to making purchases.  Purchases that result in over
expenditure of budget levels are not made until additional appropriations or budget
changes are processed to make funds available. 

Encumbrances are not recorded in the City's funds.  The City does, however, utilize an
informal monitoring system to facilitate budgetary control over proposed purchases.
Essentially, this system entails the use of on-line budgetary information that details
year-to-date "actual versus budgeted" expenditure comparisons by budget category.
This information is accessible to appropriate personnel to enable them to ascertain the
budget status of an expenditure category prior to authorizing additional purchases. 

DEBT ADMINISTRATION

At December 31, 2003, the total of City bonds and contractual debt outstanding
(including discretely presented component unit debt) was $31,778,823 as compared to
$34,024,914 at December 31, 2002.  During the year, the Local Development Finance
Authority (a component unit) called $725,000 limited tax obligation bonds with
available cash on hand.  Also in 2003, the City issued $1.575 million of capital
improvement bonds for purposes of financing sidewalk improvements. During the year,
Standard & Poor's affirmed the City's general obligation debt rating of A.

CASH MANAGEMENT AND INVESTMENTS

Temporarily idle cash from the City's various funds is invested through management of
a common pooled cash and investments system.  Maturity of investments are timed to
meet the City's cash needs.  Investment instruments generally consisted of U.S.
Treasury Bills and Notes, government agency securities, high quality commercial
paper and liquid money-market funds.  Daily liquidity needs are managed by
investments in money-market funds of all cash not needed in the common checking
account to cover checks and other debits presented to the bank for payment that day.
The City has contracted with MBIA Municipal Investors Service Corporation to provide
full-time, non-discretionary management of the City's operating funds portfolio. 



PENSIONS AND OTHER POST-EMPLOYMENT BENEFITS

The City of Muskegon sponsors two locally-administered defined benefit pension
programs: the Police and Fire Retirement System for uniformed police and fire
personnel and the General Employees' Retirement System for all other full-time
employees.  Each year an independent actuary engaged by the respective pension
boards calculates the annual contributions that the city must make to ensure the
retirement systems are able to meet current and future obligations.  Both of the City's
retirement systems are more than fifty years old and the City has a longstanding policy
of fully funding each year's contribution requirements as determined by the actuary.  

The City also provides post-retirement health benefits for retirees and their
dependents. Since 1987, the City has also had an actuarial valuation of its post
employment healthcare obligation performed each year and has followed a program of
prefunding the obligation in the same manner as the pension obligations.  GAAP does
not currently require governments to report a liability in the financial statements in
connection with an employer's obligation to provide these benefits.

RISK MANAGEMENT

During 2003, the City continued participation in the Michigan Municipal Risk
Management Authority (MMRMA), an intergovernmental cooperative self-insurance
program.  The MMRMA offers secure liability and property insurance coverage with
premium stability and broad coverage at a competitive price.  The City is insured up to
$15 million with a $75,000 deductible per occurrence for general, auto, public official
and law enforcement liability.  Since the City began participating in the MMRMA
program in March 1986, total incurred losses (i.e. exclusive of reinsurance recoveries)
have been $7,441,437.

SINGLE AUDIT

The City is required to have an annual single audit in conformity with the provisions of
the Single Audit Act Amendments of 1996 and U.S. Office of Management and Budget
Circular A-133, "Audits of State, Local Governments and Non-Profit Organizations".
Information related to the single audit, including the schedule of federal awards,
findings and questioned costs, and auditors' reports on internal control over financial
reporting and compliance with certain laws, regulations and grants are published in a
separate single audit report.  The financial activities related to the single audit
requirements, such as the Community Development Block Grant Program, are
included in this financial report.

AWARDS

The Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada
(GFOA) awarded a Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting to
the City of Muskegon for its Comprehensive Annual Financial Report for the fiscal year
ended December 31, 2002.  This was the eighteenth consecutive year that the City
has received this prestigious award.  In order to be awarded a Certificate of



Achievement, a governmental unit must publish an easily readable and efficiently
organized Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, whose contents conform to
program standards.  Such reports must satisfy both generally accepted accounting
principles and applicable legal requirements. 

A Certificate of Achievement is valid for a period of one year only.  We believe our
current report continues to conform to the Certificate of Achievement Program
requirements, and we are submitting it to the GFOA to determine its eligibility for
another certificate. 

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The preparation of this report could not be accomplished without the dedicated and
efficient services of the staff of the Financial Services Division and the Muskegon
County Print Shop.  We would also like to thank the members of the City Commission
for their continued interest and support in conducting the financial affairs of the City in
a responsible and progressive manner and for their tireless efforts in working for the
betterment of the Muskegon community. 

 

Respectfully submitted,




Bryon L. Mazade                                         Timothy J. Paul
City Manager                                            Director of Finance









                                       

                                       

 















                            INDEPENDENT AUDITORS' REPORT


To the Honorable Mayor and Members of the
  City Commission of the City of Muskegon, Michigan

We have audited the accompanying financial statements of the governmental activities,
the business-type activities, the aggregate discretely presented component units, each
major fund, and the aggregate remaining fund information of the City of Muskegon,
Michigan (the "City"), as of and for the year ended December 31, 2003, which
collectively comprise the City's basic financial statements as listed in the table of
contents. These financial statements are the responsibility of the management of the
City of Muskegon, Michigan.  Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these
financial statements based on our audit.

We conducted our audit in accordance with auditing standards generally accepted in the
United States of America and the standards applicable to financial audits contained in
Government Auditing Standards, issued by the Comptroller of the United States.  Those
standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance
about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement.  An audit
includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures
in the financial statements.  An audit also includes assessing the accounting principles
used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall
financial statement presentation.  We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis
for our opinion.

In our opinion, the financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material
respects, the respective financial position of the governmental activities, the business-
type activities, the aggregate discretely presented component units, each major fund,
and the aggregate remaining fund information of the City of Muskegon, Michigan, as of
December 31, 2003, and the respective changes in financial position and cash flows,
where applicable, for the year then ended in conformity with accounting principles
generally accepted in the United States of America.

The management's discussion and analysis and the required supplementary information
on pages 19 through 29 and 79 through 84 respectively, are not a required part of the
basic financial statements but are supplementary information required by generally
accepted accounting principles. We have applied certain limited procedures, which
consisted primarily of inquiries of management regarding the methods of measurement
and presentation of the supplementary information.  However, we did not audit the
information and express no opinion on it.

Our audit was conducted for the purpose of forming opinions on the financial statements
that collectively comprise the City of Muskegon, Michigan's basic financial statements.
The accompanying introductory section, supplemental financial information, and
statistical section are presented for purposes of additional analysis and are not a



required part of the basic financial statements.  The supplemental financial information
has been subjected to the auditing procedures applied in the audit of the basic financial
statements and, in our opinion, is fairly stated in all material respects in relation to the
basic financial statements as a whole.  The introductory section and statistical tables
have not been subjected to the auditing procedures applied in the audit of the basic
financial statements and, accordingly, we express no opinion on them. 

In accordance with Government Auditing Standards, we have also issued our report
dated March 15, 2004, on our consideration of the City of Muskegon, Michigan's internal
control over financial reporting and our tests of its compliance with certain laws,
regulations, contracts and grants.  That report is an integral part of an audit performed
in accordance with Government Auditing Standards and should be read in conjunction
with this report considering the results of our audit.



March 15, 2004



                    MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS

This section of the City of Muskegon's annual financial report presents our discussion
and analysis of the City's financial performance during the fiscal year ended December
31, 2003.  Please read it in conjunction with the City's financial statements, which follow
this section.  

FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

       The City's total combined net assets were $86,200,845 at December 31, 2003, an
      increase of $10,570,908 (14.0%) over the prior year.  Most of this increase is
      attributable to major street construction activities undertaken during the year.  Of
      the total net assets, $19,774,573 was unrestricted and may be used to meet the
      City's ongoing obligations to citizens and creditors.

       During the year, the City's total expenses for both governmental and business-
      type activities were $38,489,639, a slight increase of $220,634 (0.5%) over 2002.
      Of the total expenses for 2003:

           $13,380,231 (35%) was paid through direct charges (such as water fees) to
          benefiting parties;

           $16,364,857 (43%) was paid by grants and contributions, primarily from the
          state and federal governments; and

           The remaining portion was paid from state shared revenues, local income and
          property taxes, and other locally generated revenues.

       The City's general fund reported a fund balance of $2,431,418, a decrease of
      $376,578 from the prior year.  The City also maintained a budget stabilization (or
      "rainy day") fund that reported a fund balance of        Figure A-1, Required Components of the
      $1.5 million at December 31, 2003, a decrease                City's Annual Financial Report
      of $500,000 from 2002.

       The City issued $1.575 million in capital
      improvement bonds during fiscal year 2003 to
      finance citywide sidewalk improvements.


OVERVIEW OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

This annual report consists of three parts-
management's discussion and analysis (this section),
the  basic financial statements,  and required
supplementary information.  The basic financial
statements include two kinds of statements that
present different views of the City:



       The first two statements are government-wide financial statements that provide
       both long-term and short-term information about the City's overall financial status.

       The remaining statements are fund financial statements that focus on individual
       parts of the government, reporting individual City operations in greater detail than
       the government-wide statements.

            The governmental funds statements tell how general government services
            were financed in the short-term as well as what remains available for future
            spending.

            Proprietary fund statements offer short- and long-term financial information
            about activities the City operates like private businesses.

            Fiduciary fund statements provide information about the financial relationships
            in which the City acts solely as a trustee or agent for the benefit of others, to
            whom the resources in question belong.

The financial statements also include detailed notes that explain some of the
information in the                        Figure A-2. Major Features of the City's Government-Wide and Fund Financial Statements
financial statements                                                                                                              Fund Statements
and provide additional Type of Statements                         Government-Wide             Governmental Funds                  Proprietary Funds            Fiduciary Funds
                                                          Entire City government           The activities of the City     Activities the City            Instances in which the
data. The statements                                      (except fiduciary funds)         that are not proprietary or    operates similar to private    City is the trustee or
are followed by a Scope                                   and the City's component         fiduciary                      businesses.                    agent for someone else's
                                                          units                                                                                          resources
section of required
supplementary                                                Statement of net assets          Balance sheet                  Statement of net assets        Statement of fiduciary
                                                                                                                                                         net assets
information that further                                    
                                    Required financial          Statement of activities       Statement of revenues,         Statement of revenues,         Statement of changes
explains and supports statements                                                           expenditures & changes         expenses and changes in        in fiduciary net assets
                                                                                           in fund balances               fund net assets
the information in the                                                                                                       Statement of cash flows
                                    Accounting basis      Accrual accounting and           Modified accrual               Accrual accounting and         Accrual accounting and
financial statements. and measurement economic resources focus accounting and current                                     economic resources focus       economic resources focus
Figure A-1 shows how focus                                                                 financial resources focus
                                                          All assets and liabilities,      Only assets expected to        All assets and liabilities,    All assets and liabilities,
the required parts of Type of                             both financial and capital,      be used up and liabilities     both financial and capital,    both short-term and long-
                                                          short-term and long-term         that come due during the       and short-term and long-       term; the City's funds do
this annual report are asset/liability
                                    information                                            year or soon thereafter;       term                           not currently contain
                                                                                           no capital assets included                                    capital assets, although
arranged and related to                                                                                                                                  they can
one another.                                              All revenues and                 Revenues for which cash        All revenues and expenses      All revenues and
                                                          expenses during year,            is received during or soon     during year, regardless of     expenses during year,
                                                          regardless of when cash          after the end of the year;     when cash is received or       regardless of when cash
                                    Type of               is received or paid              expenditures when goods        paid                           is received or paid
Figure A-2 summarizes inflow/outflow                                                       or services have been
                                    information                                            received and payment is
the major features of                                                                      due during the year or
the City's financial                                                                       soon thereafter
statements, including the portion of the City government they cover and the types of
information they contain.  The remainder of this overview section of management's
discussion and analysis explains the structure and contents of each of the statements.



Government-Wide Statements

The government-wide statements report information about the City as a whole using
accounting methods similar to those used by private-sector companies.  The statement
of net assets includes all of the government's assets and liabilities.  All of the current
year's revenues and expenses are accounted for in the statement of activities
regardless of when cash is received or paid.

The two government-wide statements report the City's net assets and how they have
changed. Net assets-the difference between the City's assets and liabilities-is one
way to measure the City's overall financial health or position.  Over time, increases or
decreases in the City's net assets are an indicator of whether its financial health is
improving or deteriorating, respectively.  However, to assess the overall health of the
City, one needs to consider additional nonfinancial factors such as changes in the City's
tax base.

The government-wide financial statements include not only the City of Muskegon itself
(known as the primary government), but also legally separate component units for which
the City is financially accountable.  Financial information for these component units is
reported separately from the financial information presented for the primary government
itself.

The government-wide financial statements of the City include the governmental
activities.  Most of the City's basic services are included here, such as general
government, public safety, highways and streets, sanitation, economic development,
parks and recreation, and interest on long-term debt.  Income taxes, property taxes and
revenues from the State of Michigan finance most of these activities.  The government-
wide financial statements can be found beginning on page 32 of this report.

Fund Financial Statements

The fund financial statements beginning on page 34 provide more detailed information
about the City's major funds-not the City as a whole.  Funds are accounting devices
that the City uses to keep track of specific sources of funding and spending for
particular purposes.

       Some funds are required by State law or other legal requirements.

       The City Commission establishes other funds to control and manage money for
           particular purposes or to show that it is properly using certain taxes and grants. 

The City has the following kinds of funds:

       Governmental funds-Most of the City's basic services are included in
           governmental funds, which focus on (1) how cash and other financial assets that
           can readily be converted to cash flow in and out and (2) the balances left at year-
           end that are available for spending.  Consequently, the governmental fund
           statements provide a detailed short-term view that helps the user determine



     whether there are more or fewer financial resources that can be spent in the near
     future to finance the City's programs.  Because this information does not
     encompass the additional long-term focus of the government-wide statements, we
     provide additional information on the subsequent page of the governmental funds
     statements that explain the relationship (or differences) between them.

       Proprietary funds-Services for which the City charges customers a fee are
     generally reported in proprietary funds.  Proprietary funds, like the government-
     wide statements, provide both long-term and short-term financial information.

       We use internal service funds to report activities that provide supplies and services
     for the City's other programs and activities.

       Fiduciary funds-The City is the trustee, or fiduciary, for certain funds.  It is also
     responsible for other assets that-because of a trust arrangement-can be used
     only for the trust beneficiaries.  The City is responsible for ensuring that the assets
     reported in these funds are used for their intended purposes.  All of the City's
     fiduciary activities are reported in a separate statement of fiduciary net assets and
     a statement of changes in fiduciary net assets.  We exclude these activities from
     the City's government-wide financial statements because the City cannot use
     these assets to finance its operations.

       Component units ­ Finally, the City of Muskegon's Comprehensive Annual
     Financial report includes two component units: Downtown Development Authority
     (DDA) and Local Development Finance Authority (LDFA), which contains three
     sub-districts.  Component units are separate legal entities for which the City of
     Muskegon has some level of financial accountability.  The component units of the
     City exist primarily for the issuance and repayment of debt to finance projects in
     specific areas of the City.  Accordingly, they are discussed below under the Capital
     Assets and Debt Administration heading.


FINANCIAL ANALYSIS OF THE CITY AS A WHOLE

Net assets.  The Statement of Net Assets provides an overview of the City's assets,
liabilities and net assets.  Over time this can provide a good indicator of the City's fiscal
health. A summary of the City's net assets follows:



                                                            City's Net Assets
                                                          (In thousands of dollars)
                                                                                                                                                             Total
                                 Governmental                        Business-Type                                                                 Percentage
                                   Activities                           Activities                                  Total                               Change
                                  2003           2002                   2003           2002                       2003            2002                2003-2002

Current and other assets        $32,654    $29,530                   $13,539     $15,059                   $46,193           $44,589                         3.6%
Capital assets                   39,203     30,604                    41,352          40,942                80,555            71,546                     12.6%
Total Assets                     71,857     60,134                    54,891          56,001               126,748           116,135                         9.1%

Long-term liabilities             8,615          8,231                15,328          16,881                23,943            25,112                         -4.7%
Other liabilities                16,161     14,970                       444            423                 16,605            15,393                         7.9%
Total Liabilities                24,776     23,201                    15,772          17,304                40,548            40,505                         0.1%

Net Assets
Invested in capital assets, 
   net of related debt           32,120     23,793                    27,809          26,226                59,929            50,019                     19.8%
Restricted                        5,674          4,462                   822            823                   6,496            5,285                     22.9%
Unrestricted                      9,287          8,678                10,488          11,648                19,775            20,326                         -2.7%
Total Net Assets                $47,081    $36,933                   $39,119     $38,697                   $86,200           $75,630                     14.0%



The total net assets of the City were $86,200,845 as of December 31, 2003.  This
represents an increase of $10,570,908 over the prior year.  This change is explained
more fully below.

Changes in net assets. The City's total revenues were $49,060,547.  A significant portion
(27%) of the City's revenue stream
                                                                                                           Figure A-3
came from charges to users of specific                                                                City of Muskegon
services such as water or sewer (See                                                    Sources of Revenue for Fiscal Year 2003
Figure A-3).  Another thirty-four percent
came from various grants from the state                                                          Operating & 
                                                                                                Capital Grants
and federal governments and twenty-                                                                 34%
eight percent was from local property
                                                                                                                                          Property Taxes 
and income taxes.  The remainder was                                                                                                           14%
comprised of state-shared revenues
(10%) and various other sources such                                            Charges for                                           Income Taxes
                                                                                 Services                                                   14%
as interest income.                                                                   27%                  Other     State Shared 
                                                                                                            1%            Revenue
                                                                                                                           10%
The total cost of all City programs and
services during 2003 was $38,489,639.
Seventy-eight percent of these costs
were for governmental activities such as police and fire protection, streets, parks, and
general administration.  The remaining twenty-two percent represents business-type
activities operated by the City, specifically, water, sewer and marina operations.

The difference between the City's total revenues and expenses ($10,570,908)
represents the increase in total net assets for 2003.  The increase is primarily
attributable to the receipt of large capital grants for street and other infrastructure
improvements.  The following table (Changes in City's Net Assets) further breaks down
the change in total net assets into year-to-year changes in individual revenue and
expense categories:



                                                   Changes in  City's Net Assets
                                                         (In thousands of dollars)
                                                                                                                                 Total
                                         Governmental                    Business-Type                                      Percentage
                                           Activities                       Activities                  Total                  Change
                                          2003           2002             2003            2002       2003          2002     2003-2002

Program revenues
  Charges for services                   $4,917      $4,506             $8,463         $8,261      $13,380       $12,767         4.8%
  Operating grants and contributions      5,614          5,497                 -           500       5,614         5,997        -6.4%
  Capital grants and  contributions      10,495          5,383             256                -     10,751         5,383        99.7%
General revenues
  Property taxes                          7,029          7,176                 -              -      7,029         7,176        -2.0%
  Income taxes                            6,645          6,877                 -              -      6,645         6,877        -3.4%
  State shared revenues                   4,939          5,354                 -              -      4,939         5,354        -7.8%
  All other                                719           1,069             (17)            105         702         1,174       -40.2%
Total revenues                           40,358      35,862               8,702           8,866     49,060        44,728         9.7%

Governmental activities expenses
  Public representation                    888            986                  -              -        888          986         -9.9%
  Administrative services                 1,228          1,287                 -              -      1,228         1,287        -4.6%
  Financial services                      1,843          1,855                 -              -      1,843         1,855        -0.6%
  Public safety                          11,583      11,576                    -              -     11,583        11,576         0.1%
  Public works                            2,947          2,830                 -              -      2,947         2,830         4.1%
  Leisure services                        3,042          3,009                 -              -      3,042         3,009         1.1%
  Planning and economic development       3,371          4,015                 -              -      3,371         4,015       -16.0%
  Highways, streets and bridges           3,483          2,881                 -              -      3,483         2,881        20.9%
  General administration                  1,601          1,750                 -              -      1,601         1,750        -8.5%
  Interest on long-term debt               224            308                  -              -        224          308        -27.3%
Business-type activities expenses
  Water                                       -               -           4,538           4,038      4,538         4,038        12.4%
  Sewer                                       -               -           3,416           3,441      3,416         3,441        -0.7%
  Marina                                      -               -            326             293         326          293         11.3%
Total expenses                           30,210      30,497               8,280           7,772     38,490        38,269         0.6%

Change in net assets                     10,148          5,365             422            1,094     10,570         6,459        63.6%

Net assets at beginning of year          36,933      31,568             38,697         37,603       75,630        69,171         9.3%

Net assets at end of year               $47,081     $36,933            $39,119        $38,697      $86,200       $75,630        14.0%


Governmental Activities
The following table (Net Cost of Selected City Functions) presents the cost of each of
the City's largest functions as well as each function's net cost (total cost less fees
generated by the activities and related intergovernmental aid).  The net cost reflects
what was funded by local tax dollars and other general resources.

        The operational cost of all governmental activities during 2003 was $30,209,680.
           This is a slight decrease from 2002 as the City continued to reduce costs in
           response to economic conditions and falling state-shared revenues.
        The net cost that City taxpayers paid for these activities through local taxes was
           $13,674,101, or about 45% of the total.
        The remaining cost was paid by user charges to those who directly benefit from
           the programs or by state and federal grants and contributions.
        Revenues for highways and streets function exceeded program costs because the
           City's historic infrastructure or related depreciation costs are not yet recorded.
           GASB 34 requires that this information be reported by the year ending December
           31, 2007.  The City plans to include this information in the 2004 CAFR.



                                          Net Cost of Selected City Functions
                                                    (in thousands of dollars)

                                               Total Cost of                                          Net Cost of
                                                    Services                   % Change                Services             % Change
                                            2003                2002                               2003         2002
Governmental activities
  Public safety                             $11,583        $11,576                      0.1%       $10,210     $10,061          1.5%
  Planning and economic development           3,371              4,015            -16.0%             (351)           363     -196.7%
  Leisure services                            3,042              3,009                  1.1%         1,717         1,843       -6.8%
  Highways and streets                        3,483              2,881             20.9%            (9,220)    (4,773)         93.2%
  Public works                                2,947              2,830                  4.1%         2,290         2,575      -11.1%
  All other                                   5,784              6,186             -6.5%             4,538         5,042      -10.0%
Total governmental activities               $30,210        $30,497                 -0.9%            $9,184     $15,111        -39.2%



Business-Type Activities 

The financial goal of the City's business-type activities (i.e. water, sewer and marina
operations) is to operate on a more or less "break-even" basis without making
significant profit or needing general tax subsidies.  For 2003 this goal was achieved with
the City's total business-type activities realizing an overall increase in net assets of
$422,641.  These funds were used to pay debt principal or invest in capital assets.

FINANCIAL ANALYSIS OF THE CITY'S FUNDS

The analysis of the City's major funds begins on page 34 of the CAFR report, following
the government-wide statements.  The fund financial statements provide detailed
information about the major City funds, not the City as a whole.  The City's major funds
for 2003 were the general fund and the major and local street funds. 

General Fund Budgetary Highlights

The general fund receives the most public attention since it is where local tax revenues
are accounted for and where the most popular municipal services such as police, fire
and parks are funded.  The City reforecasts its general fund budget on a quarterly basis
to take into account changing economic conditions and policy priorities.  The quarterly
budget reforecasts were particularly relevant in 2003 due to the turbulent state and
national economies.  A $500,000 transfer from the City's rainy day fund was needed at
year-end to offset revenue losses, particularly state shared revenues.  The following
table shows the general fund year-end fund balance for the last four years:

                                                                                                Fund Balance as a % of
                   Year-End Fund         Year-to-Year %                 Prior Year's            Prior Year Expenditures
 Year                 Balance               Change                      Expenditures             (Policy Target = 10%)
 2003                      $2,431,418       -13.4%                        $ 23,971,536                  10.14%
 2002                       2,807,996       -11.2%                          23,235,978                  12.08%
 2001                       3,162,368        +7.1%                            22,232,657                14.22%
 2000                       2,951,735          -                              22,011,881                13.41%



Actual 2003 general fund expenditures were $269,150 below original budget amount.
Most of this variance occurred in the areas of salaries, benefits and other operating
costs as the City continued to manage its way through a difficult economy.

General fund revenues in 2003 were $305,302 less than originally budgeted:
       Most significantly, state shared revenues were $611,441 under original budget due
     to faltering state sales tax collections and cutbacks by the state. 
       As noted, a $500,000 transfer from the budget stabilization fund was needed to
     help offset this revenue shortfall. 


CAPITAL ASSETS AND DEBT ADMINISTRATION

Capital Assets

At the end of 2003, the City and its component units had invested $84,738,825 in a wide
range of capital assets, including land, equipment, buildings, water and sewer lines, and
vehicles.  In addition the City reports infrastructure assets, including roads, bridges,
sidewalks, and storm sewers acquired or improved since the start of 2002.  In future
years, the City will also include historical infrastructure asset investments made
between 1980 and 2002.  Note C of the notes to the basic financial statements provides
detailed information on the City's capital asset investment.

The City's fiscal year 2004 capital budget anticipates              Bond Ratings
spending $24,340,556 for capital projects principally street        The City's limited full faith
and water system improvements. These improvements will              and credit bonds (i.e. bonds
be funded through grants, bond proceeds, and operating              guaranteed by the City's
revenues.  Accordingly, revenue bonds in the amount of              general taxing powers)
                                                                    presently carry a Standard &
$13.9 million were issued in March 2004 to finance                  Poors rating of "A".
improvements to the City's water filtration plant.

Long-Term Debt

At year-end the City had $22,297,288 in bonds and notes outstanding as shown below.
During 2003, new capital improvement bonds in the amount of $1,575,000 were issued
for the purpose of financing citywide sidewalk improvements.  Additional information
concerning the City's long-term debt is presented in Note D to the basic financial
statements.



                                                                 City's Long Term Debt
                                                                 (In thousands of dollars)
                                                                                                                                                                  Total
                                           Governmental                         Business-Type                                                            Percentage
                                             Activities                            Activities                                   Total                          Change
                                            2003             2002                 2003                2002              2003                2002         2003-2002

Bonds and loans payable                    $7,159          $6,857           $15,138            $16,695                $22,297            $23,552                  -5.3%
Long-term absences payable                  1,456            1,374                   190              186               1,646              1,560                  5.5%
    Total bonds & notes payable            $8,615          $8,231           $15,328            $16,881                $23,943            $25,112                  -4.7%

  In addition to the City's debt, component units such as the Downtown Development
  Authority (DDA) and Local Development Finance Authority (LDFA) had outstanding debt
  totaling $9,386,403 at year-end as shown in the table below.  During 2003, $725,000 of
  series 1994 LDFA bonds with relatively high interest rates were called using available
  cash on hand.  Debt issued by the component units is typically secured by the limited
  full faith and credit of the City and so is an important consideration in assessing the
  City's overall fiscal health. Additional information concerning component units' long-term
  debt is presented in Note D to the basic financial statements and is summarized as
  follows:

                                                      Component Unit Long Term Debt
                                                               (In thousands of dollars)
                                                                                                                                                      Total
                                      Downtown                        Local Development                                                             Percentage
                                   Finance Authority                   Finance Authority                               Total                         Change
                                   2003              2002               2003                2002              2003               2002               2003-2002

Bonds and loans payable            $4,670            $4,840              $4,716             $5,541            $9,386             $10,381              -9.6%


  ECONOMIC FACTORS AND NEXT YEAR'S BUDGETS AND RATES

  The City depends on five major sources of income to fund operations: local income
  taxes, local property taxes, state-shared revenues, state street funds, and water and
  sewer utility fees.  Together, these five income sources accounted for $26,801,831, or
  82% of the City's 2003 non-grant revenues.  Clearly, discussion of the City's financial
  outlook must center on these major income sources.

  Local Income Tax

  The City income tax was approved by voters in 1993 and now is the primary source of
  funding for police, fire, parks and other general operations.  The tax rate is 1% on city
  residents and ½ of 1% on non-residents who work in the city. The income tax provides
  key advantages for an urban core city such as Muskegon.  First, it allows the City to
  regionalize its tax structure by taxing non-residents who work here and use City
  services and by allowing the City to benefit from development occurring outside the City
  limits.  A second major advantage is that it generates revenue from employees working
  at hospitals, government agencies, colleges and other institutions traditionally exempted
  from paying property taxes. This is particularly important for Muskegon since six of the
  ten largest income tax sources are such institutions.   Income tax revenues declined
  from $6,692,609 in 2002 to $6,542,355 for 2003 (-2.2%) due to general economic



conditions.  For 2004, the City is conservatively estimating income tax revenues at
$6,450,000.  The following table shows the resident and non-resident composition of the
income tax base:

                                 Number of            2003         Percent of        Average
             Category              Payers         Amount  Paid          Total       Amount Paid

             City Resident               8,439      $ 2,442,102         37%           $ 289   
             Non-Resident               14,904       3,598,295          55%               241
             Corporate                   1,700         501,958            8%              295
                Total                   25,043      $6,542,355         100%            $ 261


Local Property Tax

The City's 2003 property tax millage consisted of 10 mills: 7 mills for general operations
and 3 mills levied for sanitation.  City charter authorizes a general operating millage up
to 10 mills and state law permits a maximum sanitation millage of 3 mills.   For 2004, the
City's operating millage was adjusted to 7.5 mills while the sanitation millage was
reduced to 2.5 mills.  This change was made to reflect cost efficiencies in the sanitation
program and also to forestall the possibility of future automatic millage rollbacks due
assessment growth.  Millage rates are applied to the taxable value of property in the
City to arrive at the City's property tax levy.  As shown below, taxable values have
grown marginally over the last few years.

                                                                                                  Percent
             Year               Real                 Personal              Total                  Change
            2003              $661,692,712            $177,348,400      $839,041,112                +1.6%
            2002               638,624,250             187,393,600       826,017,850                +1.6%
            2001               601,420,300             211,503,600       812,923,900              +12.3%
            2000               543,897,900             180,164,900       724,062,800                 -


State Shared Revenues

State shared sales tax revenues represent 21% of total general fund revenue and other
financing sources.  The City's state shared revenue allocation is made up of two
approximately equal parts.  The constitutional component is a fixed percentage of total
state sales tax collections that cannot be reduced by the legislature.  The statutory
component is determined by a complex formula and is subject to adjustment through
the State's budget process.  Both constitutional and statutory components depend, of
course, on overall state sales tax collections.  Over the last several years, state shared
revenues have fallen sharply due to the faltering economy and to executive order
budget cuts in the statutory share.  The most recent data available from the state
indicates that the state shared revenues will fall short of the City's original 2004 budget
estimate.  The City is in the process of making budget adjustments to address this
shortfall.  State shared revenue received by the City in recent years is summarized
below:



                                            State Shared         Percent
                             Year            Revenues            Change
                             2004 *               $4,700,000     -4.8%
                              2004 **               5,000,000    +1.2%
                             2003                 4,938,861      -7.8%
                             2002                 5,353,987      -6.9%
                             2001                 5,748,523         -
                          *   Current revised budget amount
                          ** Original budget amount 

Continued erosion of the state shared revenue component constitutes the single biggest
threat to the stability of City finances at this time.  Due to the local income tax,
Muskegon is somewhat less dependent on this revenue source than most Michigan
cities.  

Street Funds

The State also returns to the City a share of gasoline tax revenues to help fund
maintenance and construction of major and local streets in the City.  These revenues
have not suffered to the extent that general state sales tax revenues have:

                                          Street Revenues        Percent
                             Year            from State          Change
                              2004*           $3,314,260         +4.7%
                            2003                3,166,406        -1.7%
                             2002            3,220,625           +1.9%
                             2001            3,159,325              -
                           * Budgeted amount 


Water and Sewer Fees

From a government-wide entity perspective, combined water and sewer fees represent
the City's largest income source totaling $8,188,869 in 2003.   Charges to customers
are based on the amount of metered services used times rates periodically set by the
City Commission.  For 2004, it is anticipated that sewer rates will remain unchanged.
Water rates were increased January 1, 2004 to help finance major improvements at the
water filtration plant.   Muskegon's water and sewer rates consistently rank among the
lowest in the state.  


CONTACTING THE CITY'S FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT
This financial report is designed to provide our citizens, taxpayers, customers, and
investors and creditors with a general overview of the City's finances and to
demonstrate the City's accountability for the money it receives.  If you have questions
about this report, need additional financial information, or wish to obtain separate
financial statements for the City's component units, contact the City's Finance
Department at (231) 724-6713 or by e-mail (finance@shorelinecity.com).  



                                                                                            City of Muskegon

                                                                        STATEMENT OF NET ASSETS

                                                                                            December 31, 2003



                                                                                                Primary Government
                                                          Governmental                             Business-Type                                                       Component                    Total Reporting 
                                                              Activities                                Activities                             Total                        Units                            Entity
ASSETS
   Cash and cash equivalents (note A and B)            $            8,721,894
                                                                                                   $         3,646,033
                                                                                                                                               12,367,927
                                                                                                                                   $                                               925,999
                                                                                                                                                                    $                              $          13,293,926
                                                                                                                                                                                                                  
   Investments (note A and B)                                        6,824,653
                                                                                                                             -                    6,824,653
                                                                                                                                                                                             -                   6,824,653
                                                                                                                                                                                                                       
   Receivables (net of allowance for 
    uncollectibles) (note A)
      Accounts and loans                                             1,773,505
                                                                                                              2,249,014
                                                                                                                                                  4,022,519
                                                                                                                                                                                             -                   4,022,519
                                                                                                                                                                                                                       
      Special assessments
         Current                                                         571,721
                                                                                                                             -                      571,721
                                                                                                                                                                                             -                      571,721
                                                                                                                                                                                                                            
         Non-current                                                 3,896,039
                                                                                                                             -                    3,896,039
                                                                                                                                                                                             -                   3,896,039
                                                                                                                                                                                                                       
      Taxes
         Property                                                    6,056,493
                                                                                                                             -                    6,056,493
                                                                                                                                                                                   707,651
                                                                                                                                                                                                                 6,764,144
                                                                                                                                                                                                                       
         Income                                                      2,533,649
                                                                                                                             -                    2,533,649
                                                                                                                                                                                             -                   2,533,649
                                                                                                                                                                                                                       
   Internal balances                                                (1,147,985)
                                                                                                              1,147,985
                                                                                                                                                              -                              -                                  - 
   Due from components units (note E)                                    177,304
                                                                                                                             -                      177,304
                                                                                                                                                                                             -                      177,304
                                                                                                                                                                                                                            
   Due from other governmental units                                 3,009,112
                                                                                                                 540,535
                                                                                                                                                  3,549,647
                                                                                                                                                                                             -                   3,549,647
                                                                                                                                                                                                                       
   Inventories (note A)                                                    10,404
                                                                                                                   93,364
                                                                                                                                                    103,768
                                                                                                                                                                                             -                      103,768
                                                                                                                                                                                                                            
   Prepaid items (note A)                                                151,055
                                                                                                                   22,767
                                                                                                                                                    173,822
                                                                                                                                                                                             -                      173,822
                                                                                                                                                                                                                            
   Restricted cash and cash 
    equivalents (note A and B)                                                      -                            822,559
                                                                                                                                                    822,559
                                                                                                                                                                                             -                      822,559
                                                                                                                                                                                                                            
   Deferred debt expense (note A)                                          76,433
                                                                                                                 143,455
                                                                                                                                                    219,888
                                                                                                                                                                                   135,793
                                                                                                                                                                                                                    355,681
                                                                                                                                                                                                                            
   Contract receivable (note A)                                                     -                         3,422,522
                                                                                                                                                  3,422,522
                                                                                                                                                                                             -                   3,422,522
                                                                                                                                                                                                                       
   Wastewater facility rights (net of accumlated
    amortization of $2,012,722) (note A)                                            -                         1,451,372
                                                                                                                                                  1,451,372
                                                                                                                                                                                             -                   1,451,372
                                                                                                                                                                                                                       
                                                                   32,654,277
                                                                                                            13,539,606
                                                                                                                                               46,193,883
                                                                                                                                                                                 1,769,443
                                                                                                                                                                                                               47,963,326
                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

   Capital assets (note A and C)
      Land, construction in progress and other
       assets not being depreciated                                22,939,199
                                                                                                              9,504,729
                                                                                                                                               32,443,928
                                                                                                                                                                                   400,000
                                                                                                                                                                                                               32,843,928
                                                                                                                                                                                                                  
      Other capital assets, net of depreciation                    16,263,521
                                                                                                            31,847,505
                                                                                                                                               48,111,026
                                                                                                                                                                                 3,783,871
                                                                                                                                                                                                               51,894,897
                                                                                                                                                                                                                  
   Total capital assets                                            39,202,720
                                                                                                            41,352,234
                                                                                                                                               80,554,954
                                                                                                                                                                                 4,183,871
                                                                                                                                                                                                               84,738,825
                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

TOTAL ASSETS                                           $          71,856,997
                                                                                                   $       54,891,840
                                                                                                                                           126,748,837
                                                                                                                                   $                                             5,953,314
                                                                                                                                                                    $                              $        132,702,151
                                                                                                                                                                                                             

LIABILITIES AND NET ASSETS
Liabilities
   Accounts payable                                    $            1,059,956
                                                                                                   $            190,287
                                                                                                                                                  1,250,243
                                                                                                                                   $                                $                       -      $            1,250,243
                                                                                                                                                                                                                       
   Accrued payroll                                                       352,786
                                                                                                                   53,307
                                                                                                                                                    406,093
                                                                                                                                                                                             -                      406,093
                                                                                                                                                                                                                            
   Accrued interest                                                        26,700
                                                                                                                   72,000
                                                                                                                                                       98,700
                                                                                                                                                                                      48,400
                                                                                                                                                                                                                    147,100
                                                                                                                                                                                                                            
   Due to primary government (note E)                                               -                                        -                                -                    177,304
                                                                                                                                                                                                                    177,304
                                                                                                                                                                                                                            
   Due to other governmental units                                                  -                            128,647
                                                                                                                                                    128,647
                                                                                                                                                                                             -                      128,647
                                                                                                                                                                                                                            
   Deferred revenue (note A)                                       14,721,112
                                                                                                                             -                 14,721,112
                                                                                                                                                                                   591,709
                                                                                                                                                                                                               15,312,821
                                                                                                                                                                                                                  
                                                                   16,160,554
                                                                                                                 444,241
                                                                                                                                               16,604,795
                                                                                                                                                                                   817,413
                                                                                                                                                                                                               17,422,208
                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

   Long-term liabilities (note A and D)
      Due within one year
         Bonds payable                                               1,335,000
                                                                                                              1,527,267
                                                                                                                                                  2,862,267
                                                                                                                                                                                   180,000
                                                                                                                                                                                                                 3,042,267
                                                                                                                                                                                                                       
         Compensated absences                                            242,658
                                                                                                                   31,659
                                                                                                                                                    274,317
                                                                                                                                                                                             -                      274,317
                                                                                                                                                                                                                            
      Due in more than one year
         Bonds payable                                               5,824,019
                                                                                                            13,611,002
                                                                                                                                               19,435,021
                                                                                                                                                                                 9,206,403
                                                                                                                                                                                                               28,641,424
                                                                                                                                                                                                                  
         Compensated absences                                        1,213,294
                                                                                                                 158,298
                                                                                                                                                  1,371,592
                                                                                                                                                                                             -                   1,371,592
                                                                                                                                                                                                                       
   Total long-term liabilities                                       8,614,971
                                                                                                            15,328,226
                                                                                                                                               23,943,197
                                                                                                                                                                                 9,386,403
                                                                                                                                                                                                               33,329,600
                                                                                                                                                                                                                  
Total liabilities                                                  24,775,525
                                                                                                            15,772,467
                                                                                                                                               40,547,992
                                                                                                                                                                            10,203,816
                                                                                                                                                                                                               50,751,808
                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

Net assets (note A)
   Invested in capital assets, net of related debt                 32,120,134
                                                                                                            27,808,792
                                                                                                                                               59,928,926
                                                                                                                                                                                             -                 59,928,926
                                                                                                                                                                                                                  
   Restricted for
      Streets and highways                                           4,336,952
                                                                                                                             -                    4,336,952
                                                                                                                                                                                             -                   4,336,952
                                                                                                                                                                                                                       
      Debt service                                                       127,255
                                                                                                                 822,559
                                                                                                                                                    949,814
                                                                                                                                                                                             -                      949,814
                                                                                                                                                                                                                            
      Perpetual care
        Expendable                                                         63,798
                                                                                                                             -                         63,798
                                                                                                                                                                                             -                        63,798
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 
        Non-expendable                                               1,146,782
                                                                                                                             -                    1,146,782
                                                                                                                                                                                             -                   1,146,782
                                                                                                                                                                                                                       
   Unrestricted                                                      9,286,551
                                                                                                            10,488,022
                                                                                                                                               19,774,573
                                                                                                                                                                             (4,250,502)
                                                                                                                                                                                                               15,524,071
                                                                                                                                                                                                                  
Total net assets                                                   47,081,472
                                                                                                            39,119,373
                                                                                                                                               86,200,845
                                                                                                                                                                             (4,250,502)
                                                                                                                                                                                                               81,950,343
                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

TOTAL LIABILITIES AND NET ASSETS                       $          71,856,997
                                                                                                   $       54,891,840
                                                                                                                                           126,748,837
                                                                                                                                   $                                             5,953,314
                                                                                                                                                                    $                              $        132,702,151
                                                                                                                                                                                                             

The accompanying notes are an integral part of this statement.



                                                                                                                                                  City of Muskegon

                                                                                                                                  STATEMENT OF ACTIVITIES

                                                                                                                               Year Ended December 31, 2003



                                                                                                                                                                                             Net (Expense) Revenue and Change in Net Assets
                                                                                                                    Program Revenues                                                                                     Primary Government
                                                                                                                                                          Capital Grants 
                                                                                        Charges for                  Operating Grants                              and                      Governmental                      Business-Type                                                              Component                     Total Reporting 
Functions/Programs Expenses                                                                Services                 and Contributions                      Contributions                        Activities                        Activities                                 Total                            Units                                    Entity
Primary government
   Governmental activities
      Public representation services                   $             887,496
                                                                                      $          204,435
                                                                                                                    $                            -                                 -
                                                                                                                                                         $                               $               (683,061)
                                                                                                                                                                                                                              $                     -        $         (683,061)
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      $                       -        $          (683,061)
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  
      Administrative services                                      1,227,407
                                                                                                  292,665
                                                                                                                                        33,000
                                                                                                                                                                                   -
                                                                                                                                                                                                          (901,742)
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     -                  (901,742)
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               -                   (901,742)
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  
      Financial services                                           1,842,653
                                                                                                  591,174
                                                                                                                                                  -                                -
                                                                                                                                                                                                       (1,251,479)
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     -               (1,251,479)
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               -                (1,251,479)
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        
      Public safety                                              11,583,282
                                                                                               1,162,175
                                                                                                                                      211,597
                                                                                                                                                                                   -
                                                                                                                                                                                                     (10,209,510)
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     -             (10,209,510)
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               -              (10,209,510)
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              
      Public works                                                 2,947,194
                                                                                                  266,045
                                                                                                                                                  -                     391,055
                                                                                                                                                                                                       (2,290,094)
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     -               (2,290,094)
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               -                (2,290,094)
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        
      Leisure services                                             3,042,315
                                                                                               1,026,822
                                                                                                                                        52,265
                                                                                                                                                                        245,987
                                                                                                                                                                                                       (1,717,241)
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     -               (1,717,241)
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               -                (1,717,241)
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        
      Planning and economic development                            3,371,472
                                                                                                  977,448
                                                                                                                                   2,077,731
                                                                                                                                                                        667,065
                                                                                                                                                                                                                   350,772
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     -                   350,772
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               -                    350,772
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       
      Highways, streets and bridges                                3,483,032
                                                                                                  273,893
                                                                                                                                   3,239,035
                                                                                                                                                                     9,190,510
                                                                                                                                                                                                              9,220,406
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     -                9,220,406
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               -                 9,220,406
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             
      General administration                                       1,601,112
                                                                                                  122,447
                                                                                                                                                  -                                -
                                                                                                                                                                                                       (1,478,665)
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     -               (1,478,665)
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               -                (1,478,665)
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        
      Interest on long-term debt                                      223,717
                                                                                                              -                                   -                                -
                                                                                                                                                                                                          (223,717)
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     -                  (223,717)
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               -                   (223,717)