GENERAL ADMINISTRATION

Under the leadership of  Director of Finance, Steve Williams, the Finance  Department manages the daily operations of all of the city's financial activity. Major areas of responsibility include,    Utility Billing,   The Conroe Tower, and Municipal Court.

Accounting

This division is responsible for maintaining the financial records of the City of Conroe. Responsibilities include processing and recording all receipts and disbursements of funds, recording fixed assets, reconciling records with the depository bank and other agencies, payroll, reporting of financial information on City grants, assisting external auditors and reporting financial results to The City Council, City Management, departments, citizens and other agencies as needed.

The Accounting Division continues to be impacted by changes in national requirements. The implementation changes required by the Government Accounting Standards Board (GASB) will effect all operations.

Budgeting

The Finance department is responsible for producing, monitoring, and reporting the City's annual operating budget. The City of Conroe's fiscal year begins October 1 through September 30. Each spring the city begins the annual process to determine the needs of the City. The requests are based on the programs and priorities that the City Council has discussed or committed to in the past. A recommended budget is formed based on the projected revenue and submitted to the citizens and the City Council. After input from the public and the staff, the Council has the opportunity to revise the budget to conform with its objectives.

Public Hearings regarding the budget and tax rate are held in July/August and open to the public. The city budget contains several different funds with the largest being the General Fund which is used for general government services that do not need to be accounted for separately. Examples of general government services are police protection, fire protection, street maintenance, park maintenance, and administrative activities.

Once adopted, the budget takes effect on the first day of the fiscal year (October 1) and any major change must be approved by the City Council. Copies of the budget are available for review or purchase in the Finance Department. Also listed below you may download a copy. Contact the department at (936) 522-3040 for more information.

CAFR (Comprehensive Annual Financial Report)

The Comprehensive Annual Financial Report of the City of Conroe, Texas is reported in a manner designed to present fairly the financial position and the results of operations of the City of Conroe as measured by the financial activity of its various funds. The City's financial statements are reviewed each year by an independent auditing firm. The firm performs tests on various transactions to verify that the statements accurately reflect the financial condition of the city. Copies of the most recent audited financial report are available in the Finance Department or by the following download

Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting

The City of Conroe has received their first CAFR award in October 07 for FY06. The Certificate Program, which was established in 1945, is designed to recognize and encourage excellence in financial reporting by state and local governments. Participation in the program reflects a significant proportion of larger general purpose governments in the United States. Over 69 percent of all cities and 46 percent of all counties with populations in excess of 50,000 participate in the program, as well as 43 state governments. This award is presented yearly by the G.F.O.A. (Government Financial Officers Association of The United States and Canada) http://www.gfoa.org/. The City of Conroe has now received the award in October 08 for FY07, October 09 for FY08, October 10 for FY09.

Texas Comptroller Leadership Circle

The City of Conroe Finance and Accounting Department has gained success in implementing financial transparency and joining the Leadership Circle Award winners.

The City of Conroe is pleased to inform the citizens of Conroe that we have earned a GOLD Leadership Circle Award by scoring 13 of fifteen possible points on our ratings criteria. This award designation is valid for one year from May 17, 2010. At the end of 12 months, we will resubmit an application to qualify for the Leadership Circle Award again.

We will receive a Leadership Circle Award certificate within 10 working days. The gold insignia indicating that you have earned this award will be added to your listing on our Texas Transparency website.

The Comptroller of Public Accounts launched the Texas Comptroller Leadership Circle program in December 2009 to recognize local governments across Texas that are striving to meet a high standard for financial transparency online. They spotlight those local governments that are opening their books to the public, providing clear, consistent pictures of spending, and sharing information in a user-friendly format that lets taxpayers easily drill down for more information.

There are three levels of award Leadership Circle with a certificate reflecting their Circle Award level: Gold, Silver or Bronze.

"Gold" highlights those entities that are setting the bar with their transparency efforts.

"Silver" encourages those who are making progress.

"Bronze" inspires those who are just beginning their transparency efforts.

Financial transparency is an ongoing goal for any government entity. Cities are encouraged and applauded across Texas that are stepping up efforts to give taxpayers a transparent look at where their money goes.

CIP (Capital Improvement Program)

This program is responsible for the financial planning and management of the capital improvements project funds. This involves budgeting, cash flows, disbursements, monthly balancing and reporting of capital projects. This program assists coordinating the prioritization and funding of projects and managing project changes of their financial implications.

Monthly Financial Reporting

The Monthly Financial Report includes summaries by fund of assets and liabilities, revenue sources, and expenditures. The report presents the financial standings of the City of Conroe monthly to the Mayor and City Council.

Revenue Management

Sales Tax

Sales Tax is collected by the State of Texas Comptrollers Office, and is imposed on all retail sales, leases and rentals of most goods. To obtain more information please visit the State of Texas website at www.cpa.state.tx.us.

The sales tax rate for the City of Conroe is 8.25%. It is broken down as follows:

6.25% to the State of Texas,

1.00% to the City of Conroe,

.50% for property tax reduction,

.50% to the CIDC (Conroe Industrial Development Corporation).