Management Services
General Fund
Department Description
The Management Services Department is made up of several divisions including Administration (which includes the Chief Financial Officer as Director of the Department), Financial Services (which provides payroll, accounts payable and retirement services), Purchasing, Budgeting, Accounting, Assessing and Treasury. The department provides many direct services to internal City departments and supports many programs that benefit the organization as a whole.
The Accounting division is responsible for the maintenance and reporting of the City's General Ledger, the coordination and preparation of the annual audit and Comprehensive Annual Financial Report. The Accounting division coordinates the financial reporting of the City's Employee Retirement System and Other Post Employment Benefits trusts. The Budget division is responsible for the cost allocation plan and City Budget. In addition, the Accounting and Budget divisions work together to prepare internal financial reporting, monitors budget to actual results, and prepares monthly and other adjusting entries.
The Treasury Division is responsible for the billing and collection of real and personal property taxes, special assessments, and miscellaneous accounts receivables. The division is also responsible for the City’s operating investment portfolio.
The objectives of the Treasury Division are as follows: Provide accurate and readily accessible tax and special assessments; Provide prompt, accurate and friendly customer service; Promptly collect, record and disburse all property taxes; Monitor, disburse and report tax dollars captured by state approved tax increment financing plans for the encouragement of economic development; Achieve a competitive rate of return of the City’s investment portfolio.
The Assessing Division provides an equitable distribution of the property tax burden under current law; compile special assessment rolls; administer the Board of Review; and maintain ownership records for the City of Kalamazoo for both real and personal property.
The Assessing Division provides the City Treasurer with taxable values on all properties in the City of Kalamazoo, which are used to produce annual tax bills. Some of the main objectives of the Assessing Division are: establish assessed values that are fair and equitable; maintain an average assessment level of 50% of true cash value for all classes of property; inform, educate and respond to citizens' requests and complaints; administer assessment appeals (Board of Review and Michigan Tax Tribunal).
The Financial Services Division is responsible for the administration and control of accounts payable, payroll and pension, to ensure the proper disbursement of funds in accordance with budgetary requirements and IRS regulations.
The Purchasing Division provides assistance to City departments for the cost effective and efficient procurement of goods and services as well as the disposition of surplus property. This division is responsible for the coordination of special programs such as outreach to minority and women business enterprises, prevailing wage compliance, vendor relations, auctions of surplus property, and state cooperative purchasing.
Core Services
Management Services provides the following services for the City of Kalamazoo:
- Financial Stewardship
- Invest Funds
- Prepare the City Budget
- Manage the annual audit
- Provide Long-Range Financial Planning
- Provide Strategic Financial Analysis and Planning
- Manage Debt Issuance, payments, and annual disclosure updates
- Provide property assessment and annual tax bills
- Collect revenues and manage cash
- Maintain current accounting on all City financial transactions including general ledger, payroll, accounts payable, grants, loans and long-term financing using generally accepted accounting principles
- Financial Administration and Audit of the City’s Capital Assets
- Management of Purchase Orders, Contracts, Accounts Payable, Receivable, and Payroll
- Report and analyze pensions/retirements
- Prepare financial reports to aid the City Commission, City Manager and departments in decision making and managing the City
Department Goals
Goal: Create Departmental Dashboards
Objectives: Create dashboards to consolidate and simplify internal reporting to improve overall efficiency.
Action Plan: Create a Management Services dashboard to model to other departments. Then work strategically with each department to gather information and reports to include on their dashboard. Train departments on how to update, improve, and utilize their dashboard.
Metrics: Create dashboards for all departments (13) in 2023
Alignment with Strategic Vision: Good Governance
Goal: Implement a New ERP System
Objectives: Consolidate as many utilized software programs as possible into one software company umbrella
Action Plan: Identify all currently utilized software systems. Then create a working group to review and select new software system. Work towards agreement and implement in 2023.
Metrics: Implement new system in 2023.
Alignment with Strategic Vision: Good Governance