Department Responsibilities
The Finance Department works in conjunction with the County Treasurer's Office to insure the financial integrity of the County government's operations. Its responsibilities include financial reporting, budget preparation and monitoring, debt management and financial accounting. The department performs activities such as payroll and accounts payable and reports quarterly to the Board of Supervisors on the County's financial position and budget performance. The department is also responsible for maintaining fixed asset records, grant reporting and preparation of the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR).
Goals:
Organization-wide long-term goal - Develop a financial plan to maintain and enhance the community by providing a sound quality of life and a safe living environment for our citizens.
- Departmental long-term goal - Prepare financial reports that enable the Board of Supervisors and the County Administrator to ascertain the County's financial position and plan for its future.
- Departmental short-term goal - Prepare and monitor the annual budget and all project-length budgets for compliance with all laws and regulations.
- Departmental short-term goal - Prepare CAFR (Comprehensive Annual Financial Report) in compliance with all laws and regulations.
- Departmental short-term goal - Continue to improve effectiveness of management reports by fully utilizing the new, automated reporting capabilities of the new financial software that was purchased in FY07.
- Departmental long-term goal - Ensure fiscal integrity through internal controls that safeguard assets and ensure compliance with laws and regulations.
- Departmental short-term goal - Ensure timely and accurate payment, reconciliation, and reporting of employee wages and related deductions.
- Departmental short-term goal - Plan and control operating and capital expenditures in a fiscally responsible manner and within adopted County policies and procedures.
- Departmental short-term goal - Provide continuing education and training for staff in governmental accounting, internal controls, procurement, human resource management and other related topics.
- Departmental short-term goal - Continue to expand Human Resource services offered to departments by utilizing capabilities of new financial software to track and report leave and improve other areas of reporting related to payroll and human resource management.
- Departmental short-term goal - Determine and remit the County's arbitrage rebate liability, if any, associated with the financing proceeds for the ongoing capital improvement plan.
Organization-wide long-term goal - Maintain a reasonable County tax structure by effectively and responsibly balancing the increasing demands for services with available resources to achieve maximum value for our citizens.
- Departmental short-term goal - Continue to improve the collection of personal property taxes by increasing in-house collection efforts and continued use of the DMV Stop Program, Debt Set Off Program, wage liens and warrants in debt.
Organization-wide long-term goal - Promote the development of an accountable, responsive local government with demonstrated efficiency and effectiveness.
- Departmental short-term goal - Continue to monitor compliance with the County's procurement policy including the use of purchase orders and encumbrance accounting.
- Departmental short-term goal - Complete cross-training of all department employees to provide better service during employee absences.