Tools
- Residential to CIP Shift Calculator
- Sample Town Budget Calendar (Excel)
- Sample City Budget Calendar (Word)
- Budget and Tax Rate Planning Tool (Excel)
- Residential Exemption Calculator (Interactive Report)
- Impact of Proposition 2 1/2 Referendum on Property Tax Bill (Interactive Report)
- Cash Flow Analysis (Excel)
- Debt Service Calculator (Excel)
Templates
- City/Town Appropriation (Excel)
- Capital Targets (Excel) The Capital Targets Template helps local officials monitor capital spending goals by providing an easy means to track annual and projected spending on maintenance, equipment, and infrastructure.
- Financial Forecasting
- Financial Forecasting - Instructions (PDF) This PDF is the instructional guide that accompanies the Financial Forecasting Template.
- Financial Indicators A series of videos explaining how to use this template can be found here: Municipal Finance Best Practices Training and Resources
- Indirect Cost (Excel)
- Treasurer's Debt Service Schedule (Excel)
Financial Process Workflows
The sample workflows below demonstrate how the turnover, accounts payable, and payroll processes can be managed in your community. While the workflows include internal control and other best practices that should be incorporated in your individual processes, the workflows can be tailored to your specific community for staff references.
These charts emphasize that no municipal official can be successful without working hand in hand with other local staff. The success of the revenue turnover, accounts payable, payroll, and other financial management processes rely on the interconnectivity and communication between a community’s financial officers. This interconnectivity also reinforces institutional continuity during times when officers leave their position.
TURNOVERS
Turnovers are the transfer of departmental revenues to the treasurer. A turnover policy should identify the segregation of duties and include the requirement that each department use a prenumbered receipt book, a schedule of how often and when turnovers should take place, and that a standardized turnover cover sheet or data input be submitted with each turnover. The collector should also provide a turnover, even in a combined treasurer/collector office, to create a necessary paper trail for cash reconciliations and the annual audit.
Download the Revenue Turnover Workflow
ACCOUNTS PAYABLE
The accounts payable process manages the payment for the purchase of goods and services. An accounts payable policy should detail staff responsibilities, submission requirements, timing, and approval and authorization processes. Note that you can learn additional details about out each step presented in this workflow by hovering over the “i” icon located in each action.
Download the Accounts Payable Workflow
PAYROLL
The payroll process is the means of compensating employees for their work. It involves calculating periodic wage earnings, making withholding deductions, filing payroll taxes, and issuing payment. Payroll management models vary by community with some processing payroll internally and others contracting it to an outside vendor. A payroll policy should identify the roles and responsibilities of local officials and contracted vendors, submission requirements, timing, and approval and authorization processes. Contract vendors should also be held to all applicable community’s policy.
| Date published: | July 30, 2020 |
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| Last updated: | June 14, 2023 |