About Corporate Finance
Vision
Financial leadership to inspire excellence in the business of civic government.
Mission
To strengthen the City's long-term financial performance.
Values
The department has adopted a set of fundamental values to guide the delivery of its services.
Credibility is earned as a result of:
- Integrity:
Maintain an open and professional approach - Responsiveness:
Accurate, timely and accessible service - Reliability:
To build confidence through consistent, accurate solutions - Equity:
Fair and reasonable treatment of staff and stakeholders alike - Innovation:
Creative solutions to challenges
Mandate
The Office of the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) provides support and advice to the Chief Administrative Officer, the Standing Policy Committee on Finance, Executive Policy Committee, and Council regarding the management of the Corporation's financial resources. The Chief Financial Officer reports directly to the CAO and is responsible for the areas of Corporate Finance and Assessment and Taxation.
A major function of Corporate Finance is to ensure that the duties of the Chief Financial Officer are discharged in accordance with Provincial Legislation, including The City of Winnipeg Charter, relative to finance, accounting, sinking fund, and others.
Corporate Finance provides leadership in managing the financial operations of the City by developing and supporting corporate financial policy, systems, and processes. The department has operational and policy making responsibilities in the following areas:
- controllership
- financial reporting
- risk management
- Purchasing
- treasury
- administrative policy development
- payroll
- debt management
- revenue management
- financial systems management
- financial planning and forecasting
- budget process management
- alternative service delivery
Corporate Finance Organization Chart
Departmental Strategic Direction
The following long-term strategic outcomes provide the foundation for the department's service goals and strategies:
- Strengthening financial performance
- Improving information for decision-making
- Managing risks and exposures
- Developing appropriate resource capacity (Human, Information technology and Other)
- Increasing customer satisfaction
- Maximizing use of automation to create efficiencies in processing
Financial Management Service
Providing Information and Advice to Support Effective Governance - An internal service to political decision-makers that provides timely and factual information from an organization-wide perspective. The service includes the information and advice provided directly to elected officials. The service also includes reviewing reports prepared by other organizational units for Standing Committees and Executive Policy Committee to ensure completeness from a corporate perspective and consistency with other corporate priorities, strategy, values, and principles. It further includes providing briefings to the CAO and discussions with senior managers on issues that arise and coordinating report flow to ensure timely receipt by elected officials. It also includes providing feedback to the preparers of information on any changes made or to be made in the information and advice and the reasons for the changes. It further includes ensuring that the preparer is subsequently informed on the use of the information and decisions relevant to its use.
Accounting - An internal service offered to the organization's financial stewards to provide financial transaction processing in accordance with accounting guidelines or financial policies including applications such as general ledger and accounts payable. This service also includes the development and implementation of financial policies and procedures as well as the strengthening and maintenance of the City's internal control environment.
Financial Reporting - An internal service offered to financial stewards of the City of Winnipeg to provide access, preparation, generation, and development of corporate or departmental financial information on both a periodic and ad hoc basis in response to an external requirement, Council policy or senior management request. This service also involves providing advice and interpretation of financial information to determine appropriate directions for the City.
Payroll and Benefits Administration - An internal service offered to City of Winnipeg employees that provides policy formulation on payroll and benefits administration as well as remuneration for duties performed and the collection and remittance of source deductions as set out in collective agreements and legislation. This service also includes the delivery of applicable training, consultation and leadership via information/policy directives required to administer the payroll and benefit programs.
Financial Planning and Budgeting - An internal service offered to financial stewards of the City of Winnipeg that provides sound annual and longer term financial resource planning.
Financing and Cash Management - An internal service which supports senior management and offers financial stewards of the organization service delivery and policy formulation on financing, credit ratings, cash management, banking and treasury management issues as well as arranging for needed funds for capital financing and operational cash flow.
Purchasing - An internal service offered to City of Winnipeg staff that provides contracts, training, consulting, policy formulation and methods/systems pertaining to purchasing matters and provides bid opportunity to business owners.
Risk Management - An internal service provided to Civic Departments that protects the City's assets and its ability to provide services and meet its objectives by reducing its exposure to losses including:
- risk control measures aimed at loss prevention and the reduction of severity and unpredictability of losses
- risk financing measures aimed at achieving a strategic balance in the payment of losses (e.g. self-insurance, external insurance)