Under the direction of the Finance Committee, the Comptroller completes duties of County Auditor as defined in Chapter 59.47 of the Wis. Stats. The Accounting Department maintains the County’s financial reporting system and all department subsystems in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles and governmental accounting, auditing, and financial reporting guidelines. This department is directly responsible for all accounting related activities and the supervision of operations for the following departments: Columbia County Jail, Health & Human Services, Health Care Center and the Highway Department.
Major responsibilities include: development of accounting systems; debt management; preparation and execution of County budget under Finance Committee review; vendor relations, including processing and payment of all invoices; purchasing, including requests for proposals and securing bids; internal auditing; grant reporting and compliance; preparation of necessary county, state and federal fiscal reports; provide necessary communication to any person(s) regarding County fiscal matters; receipt and journal entry processing; maintenance of County fixed asset system; administration of the Southern Housing Region Program; provide training and assistance to all County departments regarding accounting or budgeting; allocate insurance to County departments and reconciliation of all County accounts; coordinate County independent audit and prepare the Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR).