City Treasurer

The City Treasurer is appointed by the Commissioner of Accounts & Finances with the approval of the City Council. The Treasurer serves to support the various City departments and other organizations by providing fiscal management and control functions fully integrated into all of the City’s financial operations and activities while ensuring proper adherence to laws, ordinances, policies and procedures.  The key responsibility of this position is to monitor all financial data and budget analysis on a daily basis in order to provide City Council with accurate and timely information for sound decision making.  Other responsibilities include:

• Annually prepare and file with the County Collector an account of all money received and expenditures incurred during the preceding fiscal year
• Annually compute and present the Tax Levy Ordinance
• Formulate the Appropriation Ordinance for each fiscal year and subsequently review department activity to maintain City operations within the approved $28 million budget  
• Monthly compile and file with the City Clerk a report accounting for the transactions and balances of all funds held by the City
• Oversee the preparation and posting of all vendor claims and expenditures to present to Council for approval and payment at City Council meetings
• Compose workpapers, provide documentation and assist the external auditors in the annual financial statement audit
• Provide managerial support and oversight to the utility office staff in all of their functions including monthly billing, cash collection and accounts receivable reconciliations

 BIO

Mrs. Golden graduated from Eastern Illinois University’s School of Business in 2007 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting.  She began her career working for a local public accounting firm with her primary focus on not-for-profit and small government audits.  During that time she served as a member of an internal committee responsible for implementing efficiencies in the firm’s auditing and accounting policies and procedures.  She transitioned from public accounting to government in 2013 by taking the Assistant Treasurer’s position with the City.  As the Assistant Treasurer, her primary duties were focused human resource functions and all payroll processing.  In this role, Mrs. Golden was able to convert all City departments to a standardized pay period and implement an electronic time keeping system to improve efficiencies in bi-weekly payroll.  In 2015 she was appointed to City Treasurer and is currently a member of the Illinois Municipal Treasurer’s Association and the Association of Public Treasurers of the US and Canada.  Just recently, Treasurer Golden launched the City’s first electronic utility bill management and payment system through Payment Services Network which provides multiple options and ease of payment to our residents.