7 minute read
Focus on Municipal
Farmington Hills’ budget recognized for the 37th consecutive year
By LAUREN CAGGIANO | The Municipal
Municipal budgets don’t always get a lot of positive press or public recognition. Still, when they do, it’s often a reason for celebration.
That’s the case for Farmington Hills, Mich., which was honored with the Government Finance Officers Association Distinguished Budget Presentation Award. To receive the award, a public entity must publish a budget document that satisfies nationally recognized guidelines for effective budget presentation. To receive the award, budget documents must be rated proficient in all four categories and in the 14 mandatory criteria within those categories. The award was presented to the Farmington Hills Finance Department.
More than 1,600 governments, including states, cities, counties, special districts, school districts and more, have been recognized for transparency in budgeting. Budget documents must meet program criteria and excel as a policy document, financial plan, operations guide, and communication tool to earn recognition.
Perhaps most noteworthy is the fact that Farmington Hills has been presented with the award 37 years consecutively. Plus, the
The city of Farmington Hills, Mich., received the GFOA’s Distinguished Budget Presentation Award this spring. This is the 37th consecutive year that the city has received this prestigious award for its budget.
Finance Director/Treasurer Thomas Skrobola said the budget is one of the most important documents the city prepares since it identifies the services to be provided over the next year and how those services are to be financed. Farmington Hills’ budget success has been attributed to high-mindedness on its part to be leaders in local government and to adopt best practices. (Dwight Burdette via Wikimedia Commons; https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en)
Detroit suburb of about 80,000 people was recognized for its work during a pandemic, which made things all the more challenging for city governments around the country. Still, according to Thomas Skrobola, finance director/treasurer for the city of Farmington Hills, staff rose to the occasion.
“The reason why we’ve done it for 37 years is because of a high-mindedness on our part to be leaders in local government and to adopt best practices,” he said. “I think it demonstrates to the public and our decision-makers … that they can use and trust our information because they’re done according to the gold standard.”
On that note, Skrobola knows a solid budget when he sees one. He’s been a civil servant for some time and has seen his share of city budgets and what works and doesn’t in the way of presentation. He said his past roles have shaped him and helped him become a more seasoned financial steward of the city’s finances.
“It’s the lessons that I’ve learned, and I’m applying to this job,” he said. “At this point, it’s directed toward understanding our numbers, our financial situation and setting up a series of discussions to help evaluate the city’s financial condition. That means talking to our decision-makers and experts internally so that we’re all on the same page and so we have a common goal as far as managing the city’s finances going forward.”
For instance, he said meeting with the city engineers and their staff is usually the first course of action, to assess the condition of the city’s facilities and make adjustments accordingly. For these conversations, he said the city’s facilities include city hall, police stations, fire stations, parks and other assets used regularly, such as roads, sidewalks, storm sewers, etc.
If investments in infrastructure are needed, Skrobola said the city looks at ways to finance repairs and replacements so that they remain in good, serviceable condition. From here, he said the city looks at its cash position — cash on hand vs. cash flow needs. Then the third step, he said, is to evaluate their overall financial trend: Are they moving forward, falling behind or holding steady?
“So what we try to do is try to get a picture of where you’ve been and where we’re going with regards to cash on hand, paying for infrastructure and facilities and such,” he said. “And then finally, we piece it all together, making sure our annual revenue and expenditures match up.”
Skrobola acknowledges there are other external factors at play that have contributed in the way of excellence in terms of the city’s budget.
“I think Farmington Hills’ success is overwhelmingly a reflection of the fact that we have residents who love to live here and who are doing well here,” he said. “So that’s why we have a strong tax base and a strong economy.”
In turn, that translates to economic viability and a brighter future.
“All that economic activity helps to create a lot of opportunities and increase the kinds of resources that we need to build and maintain their roads, provide for police, fire protection and other services.”
The city’s annual budget may be found online at https://www.fhgov.com/Government/Departments-Divisions/Finance/ Budget.aspx.
Advertiser Directory
COOPERATIVE
NCPP (877) 696-2122 www.choicepartners.org Sourcewell (877) 585-9706 www.sourcewell-mn.gov
FACILITY MANAGEMENT
AIMS Power (775) 359-6703 www.aimscorp.net
Blackburn Marking Flags &
Chapin International
Ebac Industrial Products Inc.
Greystone Construction
(888) 742-6837 www.greystoneconstruction.com
Oelo Lighting Solutions
(970) 212-3670 www.oelo.com Omega Industrial (800) 521-8272 www.omegaindl.com
Quantum Fuel Systems
SteelMaster Building
Systems (844) 800-6195 www.steelmasterusa.com Strongwell (276) 645-8000 www.strongwell.com Uline (800) 295-5510 www.uline.com
FLEET
Alumitank (815) 943-6649 www.alumitank.com Andy Mohr Ford (317) 279-7140 www.andymohrford.com BendPak Inc. (800) 253-2363 www.bendpak.com/lta Bonnell Industries (800) 851-9664 www.bonnell.com
Buyers Products
CTech Manufacturing
(715) 355-8842 www.ctechmanufacturing.com Everblades (800) 746-0428 www.everblades.com FCAR Tech USA LLC (443) 380-0088 www.fcarusa.com
Fluid Control Services,
Inc. (800) 683-5189 www.fluidcontrolservices.com FPPF Chemical (716) 856-9607 www.fppf.com Kaiser Premier (970) 542-1975 www.kaiserpremier.com Land Pride (785) 823-3276 www.landpride.com LTA Manufacturing (800) 983-2787 www.ltamanufacturing.com Midwest Tractor (231) 269-4100 www.midwesttractor.com
Monroe Truck Equipment
(608) 328-8127 www.monroetruck.com
Optimus Technologies
(412) 727-8228 www.optimustec.com Super Products (800) 837-9711 www.superproducts.com
Track Star International
(800) 661-3515 www.trackstar.com
Utility Truck Equipment
(740) 474-5151 www.utilitytruck.net Versalift East (610) 866-1400 www.versalift.com
Venco Venturo Industries
PUBLIC SAFETY
Central Life Sciences
(800) 248-7763 www.centralmosquitocontrol.com Elan City (646) 878-6259 www.elancity.net FSI North America (440) 949-2400 www.fsinorth.com Herculock (740) 494-2628 www.herculock.com
Husky Portable
Containment (800) 260-9950 www.huskyportable.com Icom America (800) 872-4266 www.icomamerica.com Leonardo Company (877) 773-5724 www.leonardocompany-us.com Midwest Sandbags (847) 366-6555 www.midwestsandbags.com
North American Rescue
(888) 689-6277 www.narescue.com
Sensible Products, Inc.
(330) 400-3401 www.senpro.net
SL Environmental Law
Group (720) 988-8902 www.slenvironment.com Streamlight (800) 523-7488 www.streamlight.com
themunicipal.com
PUBLIC WORKS
Allied Mobile Systems
(888) 503-1501 www.alliedmobilesystems.com
American Safety &
American Shoring
Inc. (800) 407-4674 www.americanshoring.com
Best Management Products
(800) 504-8008 www.bmpinc.com
Britespan Building
Systems (800) 407-5846 www.britespanbuildings.com
Calhoun Super
Structures (844) 873-3338 www.calhounsuperstructure.com CBI Systems Ltd. (409) 835-3095 www.stormwaterinspect.com
Clearspan Structures
(860) 528-1119 www.clearspan.com das Manufacturing (800) 549-6024 www.dasmanufacturing.com LaMotte (410) 778-3100 www.lamotte.com McGard (888) 888-9192 www.mcgard.com
National Construction
Rentals (818) 221-6035 www.rentnational.com
National Pump
Patriot Sewer Equipment & Repair
(888) 318-9888 www.patriot.us RapidView (800) 656-4225 www.rapidview.com Tech Products, Inc. (800) 221-1311 www.techproducts.com The Cone Zone (833) 614-2663 www.theconezone.com Toledo Ticket (800) 533-6620 www.toledoticket.com Vermeer (641) 628-3141 www.vermeer.com VMAC (877) 912-6605 www.vmacair.com
Woodland Power
Products (844) 217-8302 www.wholesalehoses.com
STREET & HIGHWAY
All Access Equipment
(978) 712-4950 www.allaccessequipment.com Bucher Municipal (704) 658-1333 www.buchermunicipal.com CCI Piping Systems (337) 332-5808 www.wrapidseal.com
Curbtender Sweepers,
LLC (319) 266-1721 www.curbtendersweepers.com Frost Incorporated (800) 621-7910 www.frostserv.com
Global Environmental
Products (909) 713-1600 www.globalsweeper.com GVM Inc (800) 458-5123 www.gvminc.com
Henderson Products
K-Tech Specialty
Products (260) 585-0332 www.ktechcoatings.com KM International (810) 688-1234 www.kminternational.com Mean Green Mowers (513) 738-4736 www.meangreenmowers.com Mel Northey (800) 828-0302 www.melnorthey.com Post Guard (866) 737-8900 www.postguard.com
Precision Concrete
Cutting (877) 224-0025 www.safesidewalks.com RPM Tech (800) 631-9297 www.rpmtechgroup.com Transoft Solutions (604) 244-8387 www.transoftsolutions.com Trinity Highway (888) 356-2363 www.trinityhighway.com T2 Systems (800) 434-1502 www.t2systems.com
Unique Paving
Materials (800) 441-4880 www.uniquepavingmaterials.com Winter Equipment (800) 294-6837 www.winterequipment.com
TECHNOLOGY
e-PlanSoft (877) 654-3752 www.eplansoft.com MaxCell (888) 387-3828 www.MaxCell.us
WASTE & RECYCLING
AirBurners (772) 220-7303 www.airburners.com AMCS Group (800) 962-9264 www.amcsgroup.com
