Government Finance Review articles from August 1997

Government Finance Review archives from August 1997

A focus on training, the basics, and relationships. (goals of new Government Finance Officers Association president Linda R. Savitsky)
August 1, 1997... You have elected me to serve as your president for the current year. This is the highest honor of my professional career in government. I will represent you, the members, during the coming year as we travel from Fort Lauderdale, where I accepted...

Prompt collection of revenues and quality customer service: the twin missions of St. Petersburg's collections division.
August 1, 1997... By consolidating all collections functions into a single division, the city focuses on process improvements that increase revenues, improve customer satisfaction, and help reduce property taxes. Each year the Government Finance Officers...

GFOA/MBIA 1997 survey on revenue collection practices in state and local governments. (Government Finance Officers Association; financial services firm MBIA)
August 1, 1997... A centralized collection process, technology innovations, and competitive contracting were reported by many survey respondents. How do state and local officials collect the revenues necessary to provide vital public services? What steps have...

Better budget management: financial modeling and maximizing existing resources in Glendale, Arizona.
August 1, 1997... An action plan educated the council, management team, and many other city employees about the importance of integrating fiscal policies, financial planning strategies, and forecasting information. Each year the Government Finance Officers...

Overview of final private activity bond tax regulations.
August 1, 1997... Internal Revenue Code Final Regulations, which broadly affect governmental tax-exempt bonds, focus on the level of permissible private business involvement in a bond issue. Introduction This article provides an overview of selected aspects...

Teamwork: meeting the challenges of integrated system development. (teamwork at Orange County Fire Authority)
August 1, 1997... The Orange County Fire Authority utilized principles of teamwork to complete a complex, 18-month project - designing and implementing an integrated financial/human resources system - in six months. In their book The Wisdom of Teams (Harvard...

Measuring the performance of local governments in North Carolina.
August 1, 1997... A model developed to help cities and counties measure and assess their performance and costs provides useful data for benchmarking, improving service, and evaluating privatization proposals. North Carolina cities and counties are continually...

Winston-Salem's participation in the North Carolina performance measurement project.
August 1, 1997... How did involvement in the North Carolina project affect the jurisdictions involved? One city's experience shows how the hard work produced unexpected benefits. At the end of the 1994 winter meeting of the North Carolina Local Government...

The North Carolina Big 10: sharing ideas across local borders. (North Carolina's Large City and County Finance Officers Committee)
August 1, 1997... Not an athletic conference, the North Carolina Big 10 is a committee of finance officers from the state's large cities and counties. The committee was formed in the early 1970s to address the special needs, problems, and concerns faced by North...

A three-city venture for wastewater utility services. (Ohio cities acquire Miami Conservancy District's North Regional wastewater treatment plant in the state)
August 1, 1997... Editor's note: An article in the February 1996 issue of Government Finance Review detailed the privatization of a Miami Conservancy District (MCD) wastewater treatment facility in Franklin, Ohio. This article examines an alternative to...

An automated five-year financial model: applications in Michigan cities.
August 1, 1997... Financial modeling and multiyear forecasting, techniques that are often associated with corporate America, are now drawing greater attention in local government, as managers and finance directors strive to minimize future uncertainties and...

Developing and implementing an investment strategy in rural areas.
August 1, 1997... The pressure to find alternative revenue sources is as intense in rural areas as it is in urban and suburban jurisdictions. Interest earnings from investment of municipal funds is an attractive revenue option that many small towns have not...

Survey finds flexible benefits on the rise, particularly among public employers.
August 1, 1997... During the past five years, flexible benefits have become increasingly popular, according to KPMG Peat Marwick's most recent annual health benefits survey. Sixty percent of all employers offered a flexible benefit plan in 1996, increasing from 53...