Finance & Employee Services Department

The Finance Office within the Finance & Employee Services Department is dedicated to ensuring the financial integrity and efficient management of the City's resources. Our team is committed to providing transparent and accountable financial services to the community we serve.

Our Team

Our Finance Team includes:

• Finance & Employee Services Director
• Administrative Services Coordinator

Both key members of our team are proud members of the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA). As GFOA members, we uphold the highest standards of ethics and professionalism in all our financial practices.

Upholding the GFOA Code of Ethics

We, the Government Finance Officers of the United States and Canada, have a deep and abiding desire to show that we are worthy of the special trust that the communities we serve have placed in us. As members of the City of Bondurant's finance team, we commit to living the following values to show that we are worthy of that trust.

Integrity and Honesty

Integrity and honesty are the foundation on which trustworthiness is built. We, as members of the Bondurant finance office, are in a unique position where our influence over the allocation of limited resources and fiscal future of our community requires the highest standard of integrity and honesty. It means people can believe what we say, we act in accordance with our deepest values, we put principle ahead of our own ego, and we do the right thing even when it is hard.

How We Show Integrity:

• Manage public finances honestly and transparently: We will exercise prudence in the management of public funds; disclose the information needed for local officials and the public to understand the financial condition of their community; uphold the letter and the spirit of the law; avoid conflicts of interest; refuse gifts or favors that could be perceived to influence our professional duties; and not seek personal gain in the conduct of the public's business. We will develop the policies, procedures, and systems necessary to ensure honest and transparent financial management in our government.
• Stand for our values: Integrity is the integration of our values with our behavior. We will define the values that drive how we conduct financial management in service to our community and be prepared to give voice to those values when faced with pressure to do the wrong thing. We will also be prepared to give voice to those values when we see others conducting themselves in a way that is detrimental to the future of the community we serve.
• Be open to new ideas: Openness is essential to integrity. Openness means we are willing to admit that we may not always be right. We are willing to consider new information or ideas - they could prove essential to the continued safety, livability, and vitality of our community.

Producing Results for Our Community

Public finance offices have an important job. Doing that job well honors the trust the public has placed in us. When we show we are well-informed and knowledgeable and can produce the results our community expects, we build trust.

How We Produce Results for Our Community:

• Do high-quality work: When we produce results that meet the needs of our local government, we gain the confidence of the public and our colleagues.
• Hone our expertise: Continually refining our knowledge, skills, and abilities assures people that we can produce results for our community now and in the future.
• Exercise good judgment: Judgment is the application of our knowledge, skills, and abilities. Sound judgment requires testing our intentions and motivations and exercising constant self-awareness. By paying attention to the effect that conflicting demands, pressing deadlines, and other biasing factors may have on our decision-making, we are more likely to choose in the best interest of the community we serve rather than our own personal interest.

Treating People Fairly

Local governments depend on trusting relationships between people. If people feel unfairly treated, relationships break down, and they may withhold their support from our local government. This makes it more difficult for our local government to maintain a strong financial foundation. Therefore, we will treat people fairly and develop processes and procedures that are fair.

How We Treat People Fairly:

Respect the rights of others: Public finance offices are in a position of power. When using that power, the rights of other people must be respected. This includes providing equal treatment and opposing discrimination, harassment, or other unfair practices.

Develop processes and procedures that are fair: When employees and citizens believe that decisions are fact-based and take all concerns into consideration, they are more likely to support those decisions - even if a decision is not in favor of their preferred outcome.

Diversity and Inclusion

Communities across the country are constantly changing. Embracing diversity and fostering inclusiveness helps finance offices cultivate organizations and promote policies that reflect the communities they serve. By including people in decisions, we demonstrate that we respect them and care about their well-being.

How We Value Diversity and Foster Inclusion:

• Provide people with opportunities to be part of decisions that impact them: Public finance decisions often have big implications for people outside the finance office. If these people are part of the decision-making process, they are more likely to feel fairly treated and thereby regard the people who work in the finance office as trustworthy.
• Support equity in service provision: Local government services are critical to the lives of our citizens. Finance offices, because of their resource allocation role, can impact the quality of services and how and where services are provided. We commit to valuing diversity within our organization and within our community, recognizing our own biases, and calling out unfair discrimination of any kind.

Reliability and Consistency

When others can count on us, we prove trustworthiness. When we consistently apply our standards - especially to ourselves - we honor our commitment to the community we serve and make it easier to do the right thing even when faced with challenging circumstances.

How We Show Reliability and Consistency:

• Develop strong financial policies: Financial policies provide the "rules of the road" and a standard of performance against which our community can judge its finances.
• Produce reliable information: People rely on information produced by the finance office to make important decisions for the community. That information should be accurate and free of material misstatements or omissions. It should also be objective and free from personal biases.
• Provide timely information: Set clear expectations for when work will be accomplished and live up to those expectations. Timely financial information allows decisions to rely on that information to also be timely.

By upholding these values, the City of Bondurant's Finance Office within the Finance & Employee Services Department aims to foster trust and confidence in our financial management and contribute to the overall well-being and prosperity of our community.