Director of finance / Chief Financial Officer

The Chief Financial Officer oversees the Finance and Revenue Department.

“The Director of Finance and Revenue (Chief Financial Officer) shall be the City Treasurer, and shall be appointed by the City Council, and shall have full charge of the financial affairs of the City, except those duties that may be delegated by the City Council to some board, official, or other employee, and shall sign all checks or orders on the treasury, and he shall have such other powers and duties as are enumerated in this Charter or by ordinance.”

City Charter – Article VI, Section 4

“The director of finance shall administer the financial affairs of the city government in accordance with the law. The director of finance shall be the chief financial officer of the city. The director of finance shall have oversight and control in all matters pertaining to the interpretation and implementation of generally accepted accounting principles, issuance of debt, and for the financial reporting of the city, its boards, agencies, departments, and its funds, to include all the city’s governmental funds, proprietary funds, and fiduciary funds. In all cases where the oversight and control of an accounting and financial issue is not expressly delegated by the city council to any other department, office, official, or employee, the director of finance shall have full authority and control. The activities of the director of finance shall be subject to the oversight of the mayor, the city council, and the comptroller of the state. The chief financial officers of each of the city’s funds and departments shall be subject to the oversight of the director of finance and shall provide the director of finance with copies of their financial reports on a monthly basis and shall notify the director of finance of all issues pertaining to the accounting and financial affairs of the city and/or the funds under their control and that shall come to their attention. The director of finance shall at all times have access to the financial records of all departments, governmental funds, proprietary funds, and fiduciary funds of the city.

The director of finance or his designee shall perform the following duties and all other duties as may be consistent with being the chief financial officer of the city unless expressly delegated to some other employee or official of the city by the city council:

(1)    Prepare the current operating and capital budget consisting of estimated revenues and proposed expenditures for each of the operating funds of the city’s governmental funds in accordance with the Charter, and under the direction of the mayor; and assist in the preparation of the capital improvements budget as may be required.

(2)    Design, establish, and maintain effective accounting systems and sound procedures for accounting for financial transactions, financial reporting, operating and capital budgets, and internal controls for the city to include each department, board, agency, and fund. All accounting systems, financial reporting, and internal controls shall be maintained in accordance with generally accepted governmental accounting principles, practices, and procedures required by the state.

(3)    Approve or disapprove the recording and recognition of all revenue, expenditure or expense, and all other transactions to the accounting records under their control that will cause the accounting records to accurately reflect the value of the assets, the liabilities, the revenues, and the expenditures or expenses of the city and its funds.

(4)    Submit a monthly financial report to the mayor, and to the finance and administration committee, for presentation to the council, showing the financial condition of the various funds of city government and other information as may be directed by the mayor or city council.

(5)    Invest idle funds (those funds not immediately required to pay expenditures of the city government) in those investments permitted by state law that will (1) protect principal invested, (2) maintain adequate liquidity, and (3) provide a reasonable return on the invested funds.

(6)    Shall have authority to take all actions necessary for the collection of debts owed the city consistent with general law; to include filing of suit in court through the city attorney, and to make adjustments or permit payment by installments when in the city’s best interest; and to write off any receivable determined by the director to be uncollectible, unenforceable, or when the costs of collection will exceed any likely amount of recovery, as permitted by general law, as follows: for amounts of five thousand dollars ($5,000.00) or less, upon the director of finance’s own authority; for amounts greater than five thousand dollars ($5,000.00) but equal to or less than twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000.00), upon approval of the finance and administration committee; and for amounts greater than twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000.00), upon approval of the city council.

(7)    Shall have authority to administer oaths and affirmations and to take depositions in the same way and for the same purposes, and for the same fees as permitted by general law.”

City Code of Ordinances – Title 1, Chapter 5