City Finance Director earns GFOA Hero Recognition

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Marketa Oliver, City Administrator

Phone: 515.630.6987

City Finance Director earns GFOA Hero Recognition

[Bondurant, Iowa, June 24, 2021] The City of Bondurant is pleased to announce that the City’s Finance and Employees Services Director, Jené Jess has been recognized by the Government Finance Officers Association as a 2021 Hero. Jené joins the ranks of a total of 12 people nationally who have been achieved this honor and one of the six professionals recognized in 2021. The City of Bondurant is the first and only agency in Iowa to be home to a GFOA Hero and joins the ranks of larger agencies across the nation in cutting-edge financial stewardship.

GFOA is a national organization based in Chicago, IL and honors finance officers who have demonstrated extraordinary actions during a time of health, financial, natural, or human-made crisis. The Hero Award Committee is composed of members of GFOA’s Executive Board. Mrs. Jess is honored for outstanding leadership in helping the City of Bondurant navigate multiple crises, including the global pandemic and derecho, as well as leadership in enhancing the City’s financial capabilities with software upgrades.

During COVID, Jené recognized residents could easily accumulate huge balances with the suspension of utility shutoffs. She personally worked with customers to develop payment plans and actually reduced the City’s overall delinquent utility balances, while helping customers figure out how to cope with the individual financial setbacks they were experiencing, including connecting residents with available aid and resources in the community.

In addition to COVID, the City was hit by a derecho on August 10, 2020, increasing the City’s emergency operating costs, during a time of decreased revenue. Jené pursued every state and federal resource and reimbursement available to the City. She secured the donation of private resources for voluntary isolation for essential employees. She worked with department heads to create an awareness of what costs might qualify for FEMA reimbursement and ensure documentation was adequate. She also managed the financial requirements of a Community Development Block Grant. All of this cost tracking and grant administration required significant additional work and leadership on Jené’s part.

The award is also given in recognition of Jené ’s leadership in helping the City transition from a legacy software system. The selection and implementation of new software, as well as the training of staff, was a massive undertaking and critical to the City’s ability to respond adeptly to the pandemic, pivoting to more online transactions when City Hall closed to the public due to the pandemic.

Amidst the coordination and management of these projects, Jené also managed to evaluate and enhance the City’s financial policies. She worked with the City’s financial advisors, legal resources, and administration to develop and implement a comprehensive framework of internal controls and financial policies, engaging best practices as guided by GFOA. She also developed content for Finance Department webpage for transparency and communication with the community.

2021 Heroes will be recognized during GFOA’s virtual conference in July.