PST BAGHDAD: SADR CITY DISTRICT COUNCIL

UNCLAS BAGHDAD 000888 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR NEA-I/POL E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PINR IZ SUBJECT: PST BAGHDAD: SADR CITY DISTRICT COUNCIL ESTABLISHES PERMANENT FINANCE AND ACCOUNTING COMMITTEE ¶1. The Sadr City District Council (DC) in the last 3 months has established a Finance and Accounting Committee. The committee is modeled after guidelines given to it by the U.S. Military. The committee has three staff members. ¶2. This DC subcommittee is using a computer accounting system along with hard copy book ledgers and journals to track income and expenditures. It has opened a deposit account at the Al Warka'a Bank, a private bank in Sadr City. Procedures to handle incoming and outgoing funds have been created and implemented. ¶3. Incoming revenue is recorded in receipt books supplied by the Baghdad Provincial Council (PC). These books are maintained solely by the Finance and Accounting Committee. The DC is responsible for allocating the revenue as follows: one-third to the Baghdad PC, one-third for DC expenses, and one-third for the neighborhood councils. ¶4. Comment. The Sadr City DC's implementation of these accounting practices is significant because very few DCs have systems in place to account properly for incoming and outgoing funds. PRT Baghdad plans to help the Baghdad PC establish financial accountability systems at the other DCs within Baghdad Province. SATTERFIELD