The Environmental Finance Center at Boise State University (EFC) has developed two new financial software programs, CAPFinance, and Ratio8, which can be used by local governments and water and wastewater utility systems to analyze the cost of system replacement and financial condition, respectively.
The CAPFinance software is a CD-ROM program that incorporates water or wastewater system asset inventory with a financial planning model, which can be used to figure out how much money is needed for system replacement. An icon-driven program, CAPFinance provides a method of accounting for capital assets and analyzing funding options for renewing and replacing those assets.
Ratio8 includes a handbook and Microsoft Excel-based spreadsheet programs that water systems can use to monitor their financial condition over time. The program also helps small systems identify key financial capacity trends and to think about how daily decisions affect their financial condition. Designed to complement any accounting and reporting system, Ratio8 focuses on eight areas: operations, revenue, liability, sales, expenses, assets, debts, and accounts receivable.
CAPFinance is available for a fee. Ratio8 can be downloaded for free from the EFC Web site. To order either item contact the center at 208-426-1567. To learn more about the EFC's environmental finance programs visit the EFC Web site at http://sspa.boisestate.edu/efc.
