Fabulous Finance

New leadership in the City’s Finance Department paved the way for better processes and greater efficiencies this past year. In 2018, the department was recognized with a Certificate of Achievement for Excellence by the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA). It also delivered an audit with zero findings, an extremely rare feat for any government entity and certainly the first time that’s happened during my 7 ½ years on City Council. These are two significant achievements in Finance Director Diane Pelletier’s first year that I know she’s very proud of.

Diane’s team also created two new executive summaries to provide simple, clear, and transparent options for our citizens to view and more easily understand the City’s annual budget and Capital Improvement Plan. These summaries simplified technical, complex and anything but user-friendly information into easy-to-read formats, each going a long way to fulfill my repeated calls for Crystal Clear Communication. These documents represent Boulder City’s commitment to providing high-quality and reliable service into the future.

Now back to fully-staffed status with the hiring of an Administrative Coordinator and an Account Analyst, the Finance Department also analyzed and made appropriate adjustments to the City’s investment portfolio, a step projected to result in $160,000 of additional investment earnings in 2019. In combination with our five-year Capital Improvement Plan, Finance staff also developed a Strategic Asset Management Plan for the first time. Together, these will help us better prioritize infrastructure and equipment needs in the coming years.

And, finally, congratulations to Brok Armantrout, who now serves as our Contracts / Real Estate Manager in the Finance Department. Brok was the winner of the 2018 Las Vegas Top Tech Exec – Government Division award. He’s a jack of all trades with extensive experience and institutional knowledge in many areas, including information technology, community development, grants, solar leases, and special skills and projects of all kinds. Brok is also the ultimate team player, always willing to do whatever is asked of him with humility and a positive attitude, and constantly looking for opportunities to proactively pitch in and help with any needs that arise. Thank you, Brok, for your many years of dedication to the City!