The Finance Department is composed of:

• Accounting Division
• Administration Division
• Customer Services Division (Utility Billing)
• Purchasing Program​
• Risk Management Program

Each plays a significant role in supporting the other Finance Divisions as well as providing services internally to other city departments and directly to the public.

Overview

Vision Statement: The Finance Department is one of the significant ties that bind City departments and activities. Key measures of the department's effectiveness are how well the assets accounted for by FD are protected and used throughout the City and the feedback received from recipients of the department's output.

Mission Statement: To provide optimum service to external and internal customers through the effective allocation of Finance Department resources based upon responsibilities, priorities and need.

The Finance Department (FD) is a key support department primarily located in the Central Services and Insurance Services fund budgets and providing services directly to the public and to all other departments and funds within the City of Ashland including Ashland Parks and Recreation Commission (APRC). Like no other department, FD serves and interacts with every fund and department, often down to the employee level, with services like budgeting, financial reporting, payroll and benefit payment processing and accounting for services provided. All departments benefit from FD's many other activities including purchasing of goods and services, accounts payable processing and internal service cost tracking and allocation; enterprise funds also benefit from utility billing and collection activities; governmental type funds are supported through tax collection and general license and fee processing; and APRC benefits from FD performing accounting and financial reporting functions for the Commission.

The department plays the lead role in the annual budget process. Coordinating information from the other departments, public meetings, deliberations, economic and social grant allocations, distribution of information and the final budget document for legal compliance are some of the major activities for this process. At the end of the budget year, FD coordinates the annual municipal audits required by the State of Oregon for the City and Parks Commission. This department prepares the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report for the City and APRC, the City's component unit. This department is the primary party responsible for the budget and both annual reports, all recognized for many years with national awards for superior work.

Strategic Departmental Goals

• Council goal: Develop a plan to establish fiscal stability, manage costs, prioritize services, and ensure key revenue streams.
• Annually evaluate and update: the long-term operating projections for all funds during the budget process, rate models in keeping with industry demands, cost allocation models on a three-year rotating basis.
• Develop a performance measures program for all city departments.
• Provide comprehensive information to the community on city budget and financial issues to promote a more thorough understanding of how the City receives its funding, how it's spent and what services are provided.