Department of Finance

Staff

Patrice Monaco, CGFO, Director
Massih Saadatmand, CPA, Assistant Director
Gwendolyn Calloway, Assistant to the Director
Diana L. Hughes, Chief Accountant
Richard K. Allen, Sr, C.S. Field Coordinator
Matt R. Alston, Information Systems Manager

The Finance Department consist of Finance Administration, Budgeting, Accounting, Purchasing, Management Information Systems, Customer Services, Utility Billing and Collection, Meter Reading, Accounts Payable, and Occupational Licensing. The Finance Department is responsible for ensuring compliance with established laws, regulations, policies, and procedures. The Finance Department also makes recommendations regarding the strengthening of internal controls and/or the more efficient use of City resources.

The duties of the Finance Department include investment of city funds, risk management, contract administration, licensing, payroll, purchasing, accounting, financial reporting, collections, meter reading, paying bills, administering the city budget, and the operation, maintenance and programming of the city data processing system.

Accounting Division

The Accounting Division is responsible for the accurate and timely recording of the city's financial transactions in accordance with generally accepted accounting principals. This division is responsible for reporting the city's financial status to various governmental entities, and assists in the preparation of the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR). This division maintains the city's financial records in fourteen separate funds, including eighty separate cost centers, and utilizing over 1,600 different accounts.

Accounts Payable is directed by the Accounting Division and is responsible for reviewing all invoices for mathematical accuracy and proper account classification. Accounts payable matches the invoices to the purchase orders before issuing checks to the vendors. Supervised by the Accounting Division, the utility billing area is responsible for generating accurate monthly charges to both residential and commercial customers for water, sewer, and garbage services. The customer base for water and sewer includes customers both inside and outside the city limits.

Daily reviewing, balancing and classifying of all transactions related to accounts receivable, billing, accounts payable, payroll, and purchasing are performed to ensure the accuracy of reports. Balancing cash receipts and preparing deposits are also daily duties of the Accounting Division.

On a monthly basis, the Accounting Division reconciles all bank accounts including the investment accounts, and prepares and balances the sales tax reports, social security reports, and pension reports. This division applies for and completes all necessary document to obtain grant funding from local, state, and federal agencies.

Purchasing Division

The Purchasing Division is charged with the acquisition of goods and services, this division aggressively pursues a policy of purchasing in a fair and ethical manner the appropriate quality for its intended use at the best price available. After checking quality, quantity, specifications, and legal requirements, the competitive bid system is utilized to purchase what is needed. In an average fiscal year, the Purchasing Department issues nearly 500 purchase orders with a value of approximately 1 million dollars.

Due to the significant amount of public funds expended each year, the Purchasing Department is guided in its purchasing procedures by several established objectives. These objectives are:

1. To conduct all purchasing in accordance with the Florida Law, City Charter, City of Belle Glade Code, and the Uniform Commercial Code as adopted by the State of Florida.

2. To comply with the City and National Institute of Governmental Purchasing Code of Ethics.

3. To timely acquire and deliver in the proper place the right quantity and quality of goods and services at the right prices consistent with the needs of the City and its Departments.

4. To stimulate competitive bidding in order to obtain from capable suppliers, goods and services at the lowest possible cost and to provide all interested vendors with equal opportunity to offer their products/services to the City.

5. To treat all vendors fairly.

6. To initiate and maintain effective and professional, public, vendor and agency relationships.

7. To avoid becoming obligated to any supplier or to engage in any City transaction from which personal benefit may be directly or indirectly derived.