In the 9+ years I served as a selectman, one of my more challenging tasks was learning how to manage my communities finances. I have put much of the information that I gained over the years plus many of the policies and procedures that I developed and put them into a document titled "Important Tips and Info for Managing Municipal Finances".
One of the things that many people do not realize is that Municipal Accounting is much different than Business Accounting. The fact that a person has some experience in Business accounting does not mean that they know how to properly maintain the accounts for a municipality. I feel that it is imperative that all municipal officials be familiar with the info in my document.
Note: I am in the process of updating this document. Please contact me for the latest version.
Thanks