TODAY ’ S MUNICIPAL TREASURER communications , of course , today ’ s treasurer needs business and project management skills . Also , people need to understand the full cost of a public service – the full life-cycle cost .”
Cowin added that assessing current municipal assets is a big job , but it is not enough . With many of Ontario ’ s 444 municipalities experiencing tremendous growth , treasurers must also have a hand in planning for the people who will be coming . As well , municipalities have forged into new territory in recent years , including public-private partnerships , administration of for-profit businesses and a focus on anticipating long-term future costs and revenue streams – all far beyond the traditional role of the treasurer and necessitating cooperation with other local government departments .
“ Accounting , business , project management , all of that … there ’ s no way the treasurer is in a position to do an asset management plan alone ,” Cowin says emphatically . “ The treasurer doesn ’ t know when pipes will need to be replaced or the best engineering solution to an asset rehabilitation problem . So , it ’ s an inter-departmental undertaking that has a strong financial component . Because of that , leadership is also a very important required skill .”
Slow transition Wolters admits it ’ s taking longer than she expected for treasurers to move into a more strategic role in municipal government .
“ They still have to do their dayto-day jobs and they need time and access to the right training ,” she notes .
The reality that there aren ’ t any schools specifically for treasurers doesn ’ t help the situation , although some associations – including the Association of Municipal Managers , Clerks and Treasurers of Ontario ( AMCTO ) and MFOA – do offer training courses .
As vacancies come open , municipalities are searching out the best candidates to fill the treasurer ’ s shoes , but those qualifications don ’ t come cheap . For some tiny municipalities , the salary for an experienced treasurer is simply not in the budget .
“ There really does seem to be a bit of a barrier to paying the kinds of salaries necessary to get qualified staff ,” says Cowin . “ We ’ re exploring some solutions . Some [ treasurers ] are farming themselves out on a part-time basis to more than one municipality , for example .”
Another challenge , he adds , is that some councils still don ’ t see the need for change .
“ People are not necessarily convinced yet that treasurers need these skills . But , where skills enhancement has occurred , those councils can see the difference . They are seeing reports in front of them that they ’ ve never seen before , including new analyses of important issues . I think they really appreciate that they have more horsepower in their finance and treasury department ,” says Cowin .
At the end of the day , concludes Wolters , municipal government is by far the most diverse level of government .
“ There are so many services offered . Public works is not like recreation , or long-term care , or anything else . But as a treasurer , you must know about all of it ,” she says .
The complexity of the treasurer ’ s role demands that the skills gap between “ old school ” ways and the current demands of the day be closed .
“ We have to change . We can ’ t continue to operate this way anymore ,” says Wolters .
“ I ’ d like to see senior municipal managers look at where they need to go and have a vision that will drive some of this change . The treasurer needs to be at the council table as a financial strategist and business partner , no matter what .”
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