Mission Statement

The Finance Department provides quality government financial services to the City of Oakland. We manage the City’s financial affairs with the highest degree of customer service, honesty, and integrity. We value teamwork, trust, accountability, and fiscal responsibility.

Learn more about who we are and what we do here.

SERVICE IMPACTS & EQUITY CONSIDERATIONS

Enhancements

Good jobs and vibrant economy

1. Adds $400,000 per year in O&M for purchasing and maintaining grants management software. The City does not have a software system that has the capability of being a grant management database, nor does it have a systemic way of identifying and applying for grants. This O&M line will support the City in procuring a software system to support City Management in identifying, applying to, and reporting back to eligible grants.
   • Equity Consideration: Applying to possible federal, state, and private grant opportunities supports the City in drawing down money to spend on its residents. This is a good investment that enables the City to create more services while leveraging external resources for its residents, especially for Oakland’s Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities.

Reductions

Good jobs and vibrant economy

1. Freezes vacant 1.0 FTE Assistant Revenue & Tax Administrator for FY 2023-24 in Revenue Administration, vacant 1.0 FTE Tax Enforcement Officer II and vacant 1.0 FTE Revenue Operations Supervisor in the Revenue Audit Unit, and vacant 1.0 FTE Tax Enforcement Officer II in the and vacant 1.0 FTE Office Assistant II in the Business Tax Unit. The Assistant Revenue & Tax Administrator position was intended to oversee deployment of outreach programs for Oakland residents and business owners on their tax liabilities and the exemptions and extensions that are available to them. This position was also going to support the structured audit program for all sources of revenue, which will otherwise be delayed and will result in a loss of revenue which reduces funds available for much needed City programs. Without the two positions in the Revenue Audit Unit, the Unit will not have as much staff capacity to identify non-compliant accounts, which results in lower revenue for the City and would result in decreased funds to provide services for Oakland residents. Less staff support in the Business Tax Unit impacts current staff capacity because they’ll be redirected from doing administrative tasks to supporting business tax customer service.
   • Equity Consideration: Fewer positions in these units results in decreased revenues that provide services for Oakland residents as well reduced outreach to Oakland business owners on their tax liabilities and how to avoid penalties for late payment. However, these positions were chosen because they are unfilled and the department has been functioning without most of these positions for some time. By freezing currently vacant positions, existing jobs are preserved. Recruitment, onboarding, and training take up a lot of resources. By retaining existing staff and only recruiting when funds are available, resources are preserved that can be used for direct service to Oakland residents and business owners.
2. Freezes vacant 1.0 FTE Public Information Officer III. The Finance Department does not currently have a Public Information Officer, whose primary task would be to communicate to the public on complex, high-profile Finance issues and initiatives. This position would also oversee the department’s website. Freezing this position will reduce the department’s capacity for communication on key fiscal issues as well as result in longer timeframes for updating the Finance Department webpages and intranet site to make them more usable for the public and City employees.
   • Equity Consideration: The position was chosen because the position is currently unfilled. By freezing vacant positions, existing jobs are preserved.
3. Freezes vacant 1.0 FTE Principal Financial Analyst in the General Ledger Unit. This position can assist the Controller and Assistant Controller in producing the ACFR as well as producing other complex financial reports. Without this position, the Controller and Assistant Controller must take on these duties which can slow down the process of getting the ACFR ready for publication and available for the public to review. This position would also provide more oversight and analysis to the public about city finances in key areas of equity concern such as the contracting process. Freezing this position reduces the City’s ability to receive financial information in a timely manner and more in depth analysis on issues of equity.
   • Equity Consideration: The position was chosen because the position is currently unfilled. By freezing vacant positions, existing jobs are preserved.
4. Freezes vacant 1.0 FTE Financial Analyst in Treasury. This position provides support for the City’s debt management and issuance to ensure the City stays in compliance and maintains its current bond rating. This position has been unfilled for some time, so freezing this position is not expected to have a negative impact on the unit.
   • Equity Consideration: The position was chosen because the position is currently unfilled. By freezing vacant positions, existing jobs are preserved.
5. Freezes vacant 1.0 FTE Business Analyst III in Payroll Unit. This position would respond to public information requests for payroll information and supports documentation for department payroll clerks to efficiently process employee pay items. Freezing this position increases delays for both processing public information requests around City payroll and processing employee pay items.
   • Equity Consideration: The position was chosen because the position is currently unfilled. By freezing vacant positions, existing jobs are preserved.

SIGNIFICANT BUDGETARY CHANGES

FINANCIAL INFORMATION

POSITION INFORMATION