Finance director defends budget process, cites Oracle rollout and reporting changes

Greg Robinette, the city’s finance director, presented a detailed response to a recent review of Redding’s budget and financial reporting, telling the City Council the auditor process remains intact and that the city had "not had any audit findings" in recent years. Robinette traced the implementation of a new Oracle financial system—selected in mid‑2022 and brought live for finance on July 1, 2023—and said staffing shortages during that rollout slowed some report delivery; he said the first audited comprehensive financial report (ACFR) from the new system was delivered March 18, 2025, about two months late.

Robinette walked the council through the city’s budget calendar, the 10‑year plan required by council policy 4‑12 and the difference between a cash‑balanced year and the ten‑year reserve metric. He flagged sales‑tax forecasting shifts and external changes such as Amazon’s reporting reclassification that he estimated cost the general fund roughly "$500,000 to $600,000 per year." "We haven't had any audit findings," Robinette said, adding that the city will begin delivering monthly cash reports starting Nov. 18, 2025 and is working to refine the budget documents so the public can more readily reconcile transfers and internal revenues.