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Director reports tax deadlines, audit schedule and staffing update to General Government & Finance Committee
Summary
Village Director Matthew updated the committee on tax-collection deadlines, year-end close timelines, Baker Tilly audit scheduling and the planned retirement of the utility billing clerk; staff will report back with final year-end numbers at the February meeting.
Village Director Matthew provided the committee with a year-end and early‑2025 operational update during the meeting.
Matthew told the committee that 2024 property taxes are due Jan. 31 and that counties typically allow a five‑day grace period; for the Village of Germantown that means payments received by the village through Feb. 5 can be accepted without penalties and interest, after which payments must go to Washington County. He said accounts‑payable invoices dated for 2024 should be submitted to the village by Jan. 30 so they can be recorded against the 2024 budget; invoices received after that date will be charged to the 2025 budget to permit the village to close its 2024 books.
On audit work, Matthew said Baker Tilly will perform on‑site field work the week of March 31 (the last week of March or first week of April) to prepare the Public Service Commission annual report and the state financial report, and the village is targeting audit completion by June 30 with an early June finish preferred for submission to the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) award process. He said staff expect to report back to the General Government & Finance (GGF) committee at its February meeting with draft year‑end numbers once final journal entries are posted.
Matthew announced that the village's utility billing clerk, Mary, notified staff of her intent to retire at the end of the month. The position is posted and the village has received several applicants; staff plan to begin interviews soon to have coverage in place for first‑quarter 2025 billing.
On collection progress, Matthew estimated the village has collected roughly 60–65% of current‑year taxes so far and suggested that equates to about $40 million collected across all taxing jurisdictions (the figure was given as an estimate). He also said the village is considering issuing a request for proposals for auditing services in the near term, noting current arrangements with Baker Tilly may cover the 2024 audit but that an RFP could be issued before the next contract term.
Trustees asked clarifying questions about the Baker Tilly schedule and the status of municipal records and were told staff will confirm contract dates and report back. Matthew said the summer sewer credit item was intentionally left off his director's update because it will be discussed by the Village Board later that evening.
The committee moved the director's report to the top of the agenda earlier in the meeting and then discussed the report after the votes on contracts and budget amendments; staff will return with more detailed year‑end financials at the February GGF meeting.
