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Lake County finance director outlines staffing changes, Tyler ERP goals and audit plans
Summary
Finance director presented department roles, staffing, short- and long-term goals including fuller implementation of Tyler ERP, project-based accounting, positional budgeting and plans to reduce consultant reliance while improving reporting and controls.
Candice, Lake County's finance director, gave an overview of the finance department's responsibilities, staffing and short- and long-term objectives at the board's Jan. 23 work session.
"We serve all departments within Lake County across 29 active funds and one GASB adjustment fund," Candice said, describing accounting, payroll, procurement, grants and audit coordination as core functions. She said the department posts periodic reports, publishes audit results and supports other departments in grant evaluation and budget preparation.
Candice told commissioners the department's largest expense is personnel and that staff reductions in planned positions reflected reorganization to better match workload. She said the county has secured a five-year external auditing engagement with DMC (completed Nov. 5) to strengthen oversight and noted that professional services spending will decline in coming years as staff take on more functions.
A major focus is expanding the use of Tyler ERP Pro features for project-based accounting and positional budgeting, Candice said. She described prior underuse of Tyler and a recent training push; finance recently brought a Tyler representative on-site for fuller training and plans additional sessions so departments can manage grants and run staffing-scenario analyses more quickly.
Candice said the department will continue to reduce reliance on outside consultants (goal: 5% reduction year over year) and strengthen policies including p-card, procurement and reserves. She also emphasized internal control improvements such as separation of duties and tighter P-card limits.
Commissioners asked about capacity and workload; Candice said many finance staff are new and that the department is focused on standardizing business processes to close monthly, quarterly and annual statements reliably. She offered to conduct additional work sessions and public informational sessions to explain county finances to residents.
No formal decisions or budget votes took place during the presentation. The finance director requested time for follow-up sessions and for continued collaboration with the board and departments to implement Tyler modules and strengthen financial controls.
