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December 2002 |
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It is the Newsletter
Committee’s goal to provide timely, educational and relevant information to
the VGFOA members. Participation of
the VGFOA members in providing feedback, writing relevant articles and/or
providing other information to further the goals of the Newsletter Committee
is strongly encouraged. Please visit
the VGFOA website at www.vgfoa.org;
contact VGFOA Board members or contact Newsletter Committee members for
additional information and/or feedback. Newsletter Issues: March, June,
September and December. |
President’s Message – Joe Casey
As
this is my first article since becoming President in October 2002, I wanted to
take the time to thank all of you for your support as we continue to further
evolve the VGFOA into the premier governmental finance organization that will
hopefully serve you and your staff in becoming leaders in the financial
profession. It is also through your involvement that we have assembled a Board
that not only represents the varied backgrounds and geographies of the State,
but that is also committed in leading their assignments/committees over the
next year. After being elected, I identified seven issues for which I hope that
the VGFOA Board will accomplish this year on behalf of the organization. They
are as follows:
- Certificate
Program: The implementation of this program should begin over this next
year and is the result of the tremendous efforts on behalf of the
education committee (most notably Rebecca Owens and Phil Grant) and its
collaboration with Bruce Chase at Radford. This program should provide
tremendous opportunities for you and your staff to further enrich your job
skills as well as enhance the opportunities for further advancement with
what will first be a program structured in accounting management, but will
hopefully soon be able to encompass budget management as these are often
two distinct professions in many localities.
- Executive
Secretary Resource: Now that we should have more time and resource from
this position, many tasks and duties that were often hard to achieve due
to Board member work constraints, turnover of Board and a variety of other
reasons should be mitigated with the establishment of this position to
serve on-behalf of the Board. We are fortunate to have Judy Gough migrate
to this new role as we lay the foundation of this new resource.
- Regional
Fellowship Programs: The desire is to design a prototype model that can be
used as a starting point to engage the various regions in the State in
discussing the relevant issues their localities face in a timely manner
amongst cross-sections of their staff in providing both fellowship and
educational opportunities. These localities would have interdependence
upon each other and not the VGFOA for structuring meetings, agendas, etc.,
as this should provide a very low cost alternative in meeting the desires
of staffs’ need for education and fellowship.
- Strategic
Committee Structuring: In order to enhance continuity of committee tasks
and engage representation of VGFOA members, the volunteer resources of
these committees not only provides the VGFOA with great resources, but
also provides another outlet for fellowship amongst the members. It is
from these committees hopefully that future Board members will be sought
and it is my goal to give greater recognition to these individuals and
their employers for allowing them to contribute to the VGFOA.
- Vendor
Recognition: We are very fortunate as an organization to have vendor
support which provides for discounted registration fees and enhanced
conference facilities, programs and resources. As any well-run non-profit
organization should do, we at the VGFOA, must develop a more comprehensive
and consistent vendor relations program to better leverage their resources
and provide pathways for VGFOA members to access such vendor services to
best meet their needs.
- “Alumni” Program:
We as an organization have had many members pass through our door with
many of them enjoying continued success in furthering their career beyond
governmental finance and/or enjoying the fruits of retirement. We have an
opportunity through providing continued communication and pathways by
which these past members can be engaged in VGFOA activities, educational
programs and/or other forms of fellowship.
- Collaborating Organization
Program: As we are governmental finance professionals, there are many
other organizations for which elements of governmental finance are also a
component of their organization. By providing pathways for our members to
be engaged and have access to resources of these other organizations and
vice versa, we can best be prepared for the ever-changing work environment
that we encounter.
While we may not be able to accomplish the full implementation for all seven of these issues, we will work as a Board to best position ourselves to further promote the VGFOA in compliance with our vision and mission statements developed just a few years ago. I want to thank you again for the opportunity to serve you and look forward to working with you over the next year. If you have any desire to get involved please contact myself, Judy Gough or any member of the VGFOA Board and we would be delighted to best utilize your time and efforts.
CALENDAR OF UPCOMING EVENTS
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January 2003 |
Intermediate Accounting |
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February 24, 2003 |
GASB 34 Conversion |
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March 19, 2003 |
GASB 34 Conversion |
Roanoke, VA |
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March 20-21, 2003 |
Innovations &
Technology Conference |
Roanoke, VA |
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April 21-22, 2003 |
Intermediate Accounting |
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May 4-6, 2003 |
Spring Conference |
VA Beach, VA |
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May 18–21, 2003 |
GFOA 97th
Annual Conference |
New York, NY |
VGFOA Executive Board October 2002 - October 2003
Officers:
President: Joseph P.
Casey, Director of Finance
and Management Services, County of Hanover.
Tele#: (804) 365-6015. Email: jcasey@co.hanover.va.us
President-Elect: Larry D.
Clark, Assistant County
Administrator, County of King George.
Tele#: (540) 775-9181. Email: lclark@kinggeorge.state.va.us
Vice President: Phil
Grant, Director of Finance, Town
of Vienna.
Tele#: (703) 255-6320. Email: finance@ci.vienna.va.us
Executive Secretary-Treasurer: Judy Gough
Tele#: (866) 208-7025. E-mail: rgough@hoos.net
Directors/ Chairpersons:
Awards and Membership Committee: Jo Ellen Kerns, Senior Budget
Analyst, County of Loudoun.
Tele#: (703) 777-0178. Email: jkerns@loudoun.gov
Education Committee: Rebecca Owens, Finance Manager, County of
Roanoke.
Tele#: (540) 772-2020, Ext. 327. Email: rowens@co.roanoke.va.us
Ronald
DeWitt, Accounting Manager,
City of Newport News.
Tele#: (757) 926-8439. Email: rdewitt@nngov.com
Newsletter Committee: Terry S. Adams, Utility Controller, County of
Hanover. Tele#:
(804) 365-6016. Email: tsadams@co.hanover.va.us
Govt.
Finance Research Committee: Mary Carol C.
White, Director of
Financial & Management Svcs.,
County of York. Tele#: (757) 890-3737. Email: white@yorkcounty.gov
Technology Committee: Raoul James
Kister, Finance Director, Albemarle County Service Authority. Tele#:
(434) 977-4511, Ext. 107. Email: rjkister@acsanet.com
Past President: William E.
Johnson, Director of
Finance, City of Colonial Heights.
Tele#: (804) 520-9261. Email: johnsonw@colonial-heights.com
State Representative: Shelley Carmichael, Assistant
Director of Finance, County of Stafford.
Tele#: (540) 658-8692. Email: scarmichael@co.stafford.va.us
Need
the legislative information? www.vaco.org – Virginia Association of Counties www.vml.org – Virginia Municipal League www.state.va.us – Commonwealth of Virginia http://www.vipnet.org/portal/government/index.htm
– Code of Virginia
Fall Conference Update – Joe
Casey:
VGFOA COMMITTEE REPORTS
AWARDS & MEMBERSHIP
COMMITTEE – Jo Ellen Kerns:
Our organization will again give a $1,500 scholarship to
a VGFOA member to attend GFOA’s Advanced Government Finance Institute to be
held in the summer of 2003. If you are
interested in attending the Institute and would like to apply for the
scholarship, complete the 2002 application form which you will find on the GFOA
website at www.gfoa.org/forms/. Send
this and a cover letter to Jo Ellen Kerns at the County of Loudoun, 1 Harrison
Street 5th Floor, Leesburg VA. 20177 by March 1, 2003. The Awards Committee and the Executive Board
will review the applications at the March 2003 Innovations Conference in
Roanoke and the winner announced at the May 2003 conference at Virginia Beach.
Ari Sky of Loudoun County was the 2002 scholarship recipient and found the Institute
very educational and fun also.
On
another note, please take time to go to the VGFOA website and verify that your
information is correct. If it is not,
please email me or Judy Gough, our Executive Secretary, with the correct
information. It is vital for our
organization to maintain our ability to communicate with each member. For anyone interested in joining VGFOA,
until the VGFOA membership application form is online, please email Judy Gough
for the form.
EDUCATION COMMITTEE –
Rebecca Owens & Ron Dewitt:
It has been a fairly eventful year for the VGFOA educational activities. Our committee in association with Professor Bruce Chase of Radford University sponsored nine classes and seminars that covered a variety of topics. These included Introductory and Intermediate Accounting classes, GASB 34 Hands-On Conversion seminars, GASB 34 MD&A training sessions, and a Leadership Development Seminar. These events were well attended, received positive evaluations, and were financially self-supporting. Participation and feedback from events held in the Hampton and Stanton areas indicated that regional classes are welcomed by our membership. This year has also seen our committee add several new members and develop a larger pool of volunteer class instructors.
Under direction of the VGOA Board and in association with Professor Chase, our committee developed a proposed state certificate program. Intended to promote professional development and recognition in our state, the program broadens the scope of our training into other areas of governmental financial management and is designed as an encouragement and preparation for participation in GFOA’s national certification program.
Plans for the upcoming year include classes on accounting
and GASB 34 related topics and contingent on Board approval, startup of the
proposed state certificate program.
These events will be posted on the calendar section of the VGFOA’s web
page (vgfoa.org). The education
committee welcomes ideas and suggestions from our general membership. If you have any, contact our committee
co-chairs or members. Names and numbers
of our committee members are available on the VGFOA web page.
GOVERNMENT FINANCE &
RESEARCH COMMITTEE – Mary Carol White:
GASB News…
Since GASB No. 34 is effective
in three phases, the GASB is issuing two version of the Codification of Governmental
Accounting and Financial Reporting Standards and the Original
Pronouncements until all implementation deadlines have been met. The Statement 34 version fully integrates
the provision of Statements 34, 35, 37, and 38. The Non-Statement 34 version includes an appendix incorporation
the provision of Statement 34 and related pronouncements. To order visit www.gasb.org
or call 800-748-0659.
The GASB has posted an error
correction for Statement No. 39 on its website. Statement No. 39 documents that were shipped before June 3, 2002
included the error. Rather than ship
new documents, GASB request users insert the correction by hand. For more information on the correction visit
www.gasb.org.
WE
NEED YOUR HELP! Committees are being formed and we need your
help. Please consider serving on a
VGFOA Committee. There are five
committees within our organization and all members and associate members are
welcomed and encouraged to participate.
Please refer to the directory above for Committee Chairpersons’ contact
information or contact Judy Gough. We
look forward to hearing from you!
Coming
Soon…Implementation of the VGFOA Certificate Program. This program will provide training in key
areas for finance professionals working in state and local governments in
Virginia. Candidates must be members of
the VGFOA to participate. Successful
completion of the program within a five-year period will qualify the individual
for a Virginia Government Finance Officer Certificate. Watch for future newsletters and emails for
more details.
Mark
your calendars now for the 2003 VGFOA Spring Conference in Virginia
Beach on May 4th through May 6th. The
program is being developed now. Please
contact Phil Grant at finance@ci.vienna.va.us
with topic or general suggestions or recommendations.
You can now register on line at www.gfoa.org for the GFOA 97th Annual
Conference. The 2003 conference
will be held May 18th – 21st in New York City.
There will be more than 75 concurrent sessions and discussion groups for
finance professionals.
Oops! Many of you may have noticed
that you recently received an invoice for dues for calendar years 2001 and
2002. Yes, there was a delay in our
billing and we are attempting to catch up with the recent invoice. We plan to invoice for the 2003 dues in July
of 2003, which should be another fiscal year for most of our members. The good news is that the rate will remain
the same low $35 for 2003. We apologize
for the inconvenience and feel free to contact with Joe Casey or Judy Gough
with any questions.
2003
LOCAL GOVERNMENT BOND SCHOOL
Hosted
by: THE COUNTY OF HENRICO
Date: April 17, 2003
Time: 8:00 A.M. – 4:30 P.M.
Location: Henrico County Training Center
7701 East Parham Road
Richmond, Virginia 23294
Registration
deadline is April 12, 2003. For more
information call (804) 501-5200.
“BACK- PAGE”
This section represents a collection of various items
submitted by the members that may be of general interest to all members.
Included in this would be job opportunities; accomplishments and awards to
members or their entities; general comments or viewpoints that you are willing
to share; GFOA news; and updates on former members. Please feel free to e-mail
any short narrative that you would like to include.
James L. Allmendinger has been appointed to serve
as Director of Finance for Rockingham County. The department provides accounting and financial reporting
services for the County and School Division.
Mr. Allmendinger came to Rockingham from the Winchester area, where he
previously served as a citizen member of the Frederick County Finance
Committee. He is a certified public
accountant.
Congratulations to Larry Clark on his appointment as Assistant
County Administrator for King George County.
Judy Gough has retired her position with Albemarle
County after 29 years of service.
Fortunately, she has not retired from the VGFOA and we will continue to
benefit from her experience and service.
Mary Lechner has left local government to
accept a position with the federal government in the Transportation Security
Agency.
EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES:
PADCO, a leading Washington DC based international consulting firm, is currently recruiting 10 former or current municipal finance practitioners for an upcoming procurement effort in South Africa. The assignment will be for 10- 24 months.
All candidates should have at least 5 to 10 years of municipal finance experience at the city/county/state level with expertise in budgeting and financial management, reporting, accounting procedures, and in capacity building to improve creditworthiness to encourage private sector participation. Please e-mail CVs with cover letter to recbdu@padcoinc.com. Attn: South Africa. Fax to 202-337-9512. www.padcoinc.com
Terry
S. Adams, Newsletter Chairperson
Virginia
Government Finance Officers Association
P.
O. Box 470
Hanover,
Virginia 23069