Finance

Overview

The Finance Department has three primary functions:
  • To report the results of city operations in a way that allows the city to meet all its reporting requirements and give all constituents information upon which they may evaluate the effectiveness of city operations
  • To satisfy the obligations of the city, in other words – pay the bills to vendors, employees, and contractors
  • To take in funds for the operation of the city and properly account for these receipts

Taking in City Funds


Council Bluffs collects money from a number of different sources, including licenses and permits (such as pet licenses), fees for goods or services (such as trash bills), various city taxes (other than property tax), and parking tickets. Moneys are received by the Treasurer’s Office and can be paid by mail, in person at City Hall, or online.

Paying out Funds


The city generally pays out funds for one of these three reasons:
  • To a person who has made an over payment to the city for some reason and is entitled to a refund
  • To a vendor or contractor who has provided goods or services to the city
Vendors, contractors, and persons seeking a refund with questions about their payment should contact the accounts payable representative. Employees with payroll questions should first work with their immediate supervisor, then contact the Finance Department.

Reporting City Activity


The City of Council Bluffs uses three major reporting documents to report its operations to the public:
The budget is prepared for a fiscal year (running from July 1 to June 30) during January and February for the upcoming year. The Mayor is responsible to prepare the budget, the City Council must approve it, and the Finance Director must file the budget by March 15 with both the County Auditor and Iowa Department of Management. You can access the budget on the internet. At the end of the fiscal year, a CAFR is prepared by the Finance Department and audited by the Auditor of State’s Office. The report is released within six months of the fiscal year end.