The Village of Fox Point Investment Policy shall be operated
in conformance with federal, state, and other legal requirements,
including § 66.0603, Wis. Stats.
The primary objectives, in priority order, of investment activities
shall be safety, liquidity, and yield.
A. Safety. Safety of principal is the foremost objective of the investment
program. Investments shall be undertaken in a manner that seeks to
ensure the preservation of capital in the overall portfolio. The objective
will be to mitigate credit risk and interest rate risk.
(1) Credit risk. The Village of Fox Point will minimize credit risk,
which is the risk of loss due to the failure of the security issuer
or backer, by:
(a)
Limiting investments to the types of securities listed in §
67-27 of this Investment Policy.
(b)
Pre-qualifying the financial institutions, brokers/dealers, intermediaries, and advisers with which the Village of Fox Point will do business in accordance with §
67-25.
(c)
Diversifying the investment portfolio so that the impact of
potential losses from any one type of security or from any one individual
issuer will be minimized.
(2) Interest rate risk. The Village of Fox Point will minimize interest
rate risk, which is the risk that the market value of securities in
the portfolio will fall due to changes in market interest rates.
B. Liquidity. The investment portfolio shall remain sufficiently liquid
to meet all operating requirements that may be reasonably anticipated.
C. Yield. The investment portfolio shall be designed with the objective
of attaining a market rate of return throughout budgetary and economic
cycles, taking into account the investment risk constraints and liquidity
needs. Return on investment is of secondary importance compared to
the safety and liquidity objectives described above. The core of investments
are limited to relatively low risk securities in anticipation of earning
a fair return relative to the risk being assumed.
Those with responsibility for the investment of Village funds
shall exercise the following standards of care in its handling of
the Village's investments.
A. Prudence. The standard of prudence to be used by investment officials
shall be the "prudent person" standard and shall be applied in the
context of managing an overall portfolio. The "prudent person" standard
states that "Investments shall be made with judgment and care, under
circumstances then prevailing, which persons of prudence, discretion
and intelligence exercise in the management of their own affairs,
not for speculation, but for investment, considering the probable
safety of their capital as well as the probable income to be derived."
Investment officers acting in accordance with written procedures and
this investment policy and exercising due diligence shall be relieved
of personal responsibility for an individual security's credit
risk or market price changes, provided deviations from expectations
are reported in a timely fashion and the liquidity and the sale of
securities are carried out in accordance with the terms of this policy.
B. Ethics and conflicts of interest. Village officers and employees
involved in the investment process shall refrain from personal business
activity that could conflict with the proper execution and management
of the investment program, or that could impair their ability to make
impartial decisions. Employees and investment officials shall disclose
any material interests in financial institutions with which they conduct
business. They shall further disclose any personal financial/investment
positions that could be related to the performance of the investment
portfolio. Employees and officers shall refrain from undertaking personal
investment transactions with the same individual with whom business
is conducted on behalf of the Village of Fox Point.
C. Delegation of authority. Authority to manage the investment program
is granted to the Village Clerk/Treasurer, hereinafter referred to
as "investment officer." The investment officer shall act in accordance
with established written procedures and internal controls for the
operation of the investment program consistent with this investment
policy. Procedures should include reference to safekeeping, delivery
versus payment, investment accounting, repurchase agreements, wire
transfer agreements, and collateral/depository agreements. No person
may engage in an investment transaction except as provided under the
terms of this policy and the procedures established by the investment
officer. The investment officer shall be responsible for all transactions
undertaken and shall establish a system of controls to regulate the
activities of subordinate officials.
[Amended 12-14-2010 by Ord. No. 2010-18]
A list will be maintained of financial institutions and depositories
authorized to provide investment services. This list shall not apply
to deposits and re-deposits made pursuant to § 34.05(4),
Wis. Stats., which may be made in such institutions and in such manner
as is described therein. In addition, a list will be maintained of
approved security broker/dealers selected by creditworthiness (e.g.,
a minimum capital requirement of $10,000,000 and at least five years
of operation). These may include primary dealers or regional dealers
that qualify under Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Rule 15C3-1.
An annual review of the financial condition and registration of all
qualified financial institutions and broker/dealers will be conducted
by the investment officer. All financial institutions and broker/dealers
who desire to become qualified for investment transactions must supply
the following, as appropriate:
A. Audited financial statements. Audited financial statements demonstrating
compliance with state and federal capital adequacy guidelines.
B. Proof of National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD) certification.
C. Proof of state registration.
D. Certification of having read and understood and agreeing to comply
with the Village of Fox Point's investment policy.
E. Evidence of adequate insurance coverage.
The investment officer shall establish a system of internal
controls, which shall be documented in writing. The internal controls
shall be reviewed by the Audit Committee, where present, and with
the independent auditor. The controls shall be designed to prevent
the loss of public funds arising from fraud, employee error, misrepresentation
by third parties, unanticipated changes in financial markets, or imprudent
actions by employees and officers of the Village of Fox Point.
The following types of investments will be permitted by this
policy and are those defined by state and local law, where applicable:
A. United States Treasury obligations, which carry the full faith and
credit guarantee of the United States government and are considered
to be the most secure instruments available. These funds must have
a maximum maturity of five years and be placed in safekeeping in a
segregated account in the Village of Fox Point's name at any
designated public depository or approved financial institution.
B. United States government agency and instrumentality obligations where
principal and interest are guaranteed by the federal government. These
funds must be placed in safekeeping in a segregated account in the
Village of Fox Point's name at any designated public depository
or approved financial institution.
C. Certificates of deposit and other evidences of deposit at financial
institutions maturing within three years or less from the date of
investment issued by any banks, savings and loan associations or credit
unions. Such investments must be collateralized by U.S. Government
securities having a market value of at least 110% of the investment
unless such collaterization shall have been waived or modified by
the Village Board.
D. Repurchase agreements made in securities which are direct obligations
of or guaranteed as to principal and interest by the federal government;
and securities which are obligations of an agency, commission, board
or other instrumentality of the federal government, where principal
and interest are guaranteed by the federal government. Securities
purchased by a repurchase agreement must be placed in safekeeping
in a segregated account in the Village of Fox Point's name at
any designated public depository or approved financial institution.
E. Local Government Investment Pool of the State of Wisconsin.
F. Deposits and re-deposits as authorized by § 34.05(4), Wis.
Stats.
[Added 12-14-2010 by Ord.
No. 2010-18]
It is the policy of the Village of Fox Point to diversify its
investment portfolio. The investment officer shall establish strategies
and guidelines for the percentage of the total portfolio that may
be invested in securities other than repurchase agreements, treasury
bills or collateralized certificates of deposit. The Village Board
shall conduct a periodic review of these guidelines and evaluate the
probability of market and default risk in various investment sectors
as part of its review. Because of inherent difficulties in accurately
forecasting cash flow requirements, a portion of the portfolio should
be continuously invested in readily available funds, such as the Local
Government Investment Pool of the State of Wisconsin, money market
funds, or overnight repurchase agreements to ensure that appropriate
liquidity is maintained to meet ongoing obligations.