The Bottom Line - Summer 2017 - 7

CFO'S JOURNAL

AS THE

IA CFO AND THE ROAD AHEAD
control board and enhanced by the District
government itself over the years. The role
of the independent CFO is to work with
the Mayor and District Council to ensure
we never return to the situation of the mid1990s. Detroit, Puerto Rico and Illinois can
all learn from the District's history.
With all that said and the many successes, there are many areas that can be
improved to provide the residents, businesses, and visitors the services they
deserve. Along with vigilance of our balance sheet and bond rating, we must
focus on replacing our outdated technology, fix our struggling Metro system
that is so important to our economy, and
take on other numerous challenges a
city, state, and county face. The OCFO
has been very fortunate to accomplish
many initiatives with the support of the
Mayor, District Council, and the dedicated staff over the past few years. Our
new tax system is near its third phase of
implementation with sales taxes going
live in October. We have a new enterprise wide financial system funded and
will begin this substantial project in the
coming months. We have kicked off a significant program to implement a culture

of continuous improvement, accountability, and employee empowerment that is
bringing many new ideas and improvements to the OCFO.
My commitment to the District government, the staff of the OCFO, and most
importantly the residents of the District is
embodied in a five-year strategic plan that
pledges to work and improve on seven
key objectives:
* Improve Customer Service
* Create a Culture of Continuous
Improvement
* Improve Transparency and Quality
of Information
* Manage Risk and Prevent Fraud
* Implement Quality Financial
Systems
* Develop, Attract, and Retain High
Quality Employees
* Manage a Fair and Equitable
System to Fully Collect
District Revenues
These seven objectives have resulted
in 25 initiatives that are detailed in the strategic plan. The plan lays out the schedule,
cost, and the area or individual accountable for each initiative. The full plan is

SUMMER 2017 | 7

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Bottom Line - Summer 2017