The Fiscal Administration Department is responsible for the receipt and disbursement of most County monies. The Chief Deputy of Finance heads the operation of the department including payroll.
Financial Reporting
Financial Accounting and Reporting is responsible for the completion of the year-end GAAP conversion and the coordination of the County’s audit, as well as the preparation of the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) and the Popular Annual Financial Report (PAFR). In addition, the department offers accounting advisory services to other County departments for other special accounting projects.
Monthly Financial Statements
The financial statement is a monthly report of all financial activity for the multiple funds within Stark County Government. It is posted the beginning of each month in the Auditor’s office, as well as posted on this web site.
The Stark County Auditor and the Stark County Treasurer are required by the Ohio Revised Code to balance monthly. This process insures that the amount of cash recorded in the Finance computer system and the amount of cash in the Treasurer’s bank account always balance.
Comprehensive Annual Financial Reports
Stark County has received a Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting (Certificate of Achievement) for its financial report for the previous eighteen years from the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada. (GFOA). This is the highest award for excellence in governmental accounting. The 2019 financial report has been audited and approved by the Auditor of State of Ohio and submitted to the GFOA for evaluation for a nineteenth Certificate of Achievement.
Annual financial reports go beyond the requirements of generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) to provide the many users of government financial statements with a wide variety of information useful in evaluating the financial condition of a government.
Some of the benefits likely to be realized by a government unit which submits its financial report to the Certificate Program’s review process include:
- Education: Government units participating in the Certificate Program are provided with extensive technical accounting and financial reporting reference materials. Officials submitting annual financial reports to the Certificate Program’s review process also are provided with a confidential list of detailed comments and suggestions for improving their financial reporting techniques.
- Recognition: The Certificate of Achievement is a nationally recognized award, and its attainment represents a significant accomplishment by a government unit and its management.
- Securities Marketing Aid: Reports qualify for a Certificate of Achievement provide a detailed vehicle by which market analysts, investors, potential investors and others may assess the relative attractiveness of a government unit’s securities compared to alternative investment opportunities.
- Clarity: Annual financial reports satisfying the Certificate Program’s requirements are likely to be free of ambiguities and potentially misleading presentations.
- Comparability: Since annual financial reports qualifying for a Certificate of Achievement employ standardized terminology and formatting conventions, comparisons from one year to the next and among different government units are facilitated.
- Completeness: The financial statements, supporting schedules, statistical tables and narrative explanations required for a Certificate of Achievement help to assure that all fiscal data are presented that are needed by the many persons and groups with a legitimate interest in the financial affairs of a government unit. These groups include governing boards, investors and creditors, grantor resource providers, taxpayers and others.
Popular Annual Financial Report
Stark County has received the Award for Outstanding Achievement in Popular Annual Financial Reporting (Award) for the previous eighteen years. The 2019 PAFR has been submitted to the GFOA for evaluation for a nineteenth Award.
The PAFR provides the citizens of Stark County with an overview of the County’s financial condition. It presents selected basic information about the County’s budget, economy, revenues, spending, and demographics in a non-technical, easy to understand format.
PAFRs typically are designed to furnish citizens and other interested parties with financial information that is easier to understand than that contained in traditional CAFRs. PAFRs have an important role to play in helping finance officers to meet their responsibility to be accountable. The goal of the PAFR program is not to replace traditional financial reporting, but to encourage governments to supplement their CAFR with additional form of financial reporting that is more accessible to potential users without a background in accounting and finance.
PAFRs are evaluated in four areas: reader appeal, understandability, distribution methods and notable achievement. Those governments whose PAFR is deemed to be in substantial conformance with program requirements will receive the Award. Also, the entity must be a successful participant in the GFOA’s Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting program.
Budget Accounting
Budget department personnel approve and process purchase orders for all Stark County Departments. They also audit and pay all invoices received by these departments for over 900 funds. It is their responsibility to produce a financial statement each month that shows fiscal activity which is available for public review in the Auditor’s Office and to maintain and report information to federal and state taxing agencies about monies paid to vendors who do business with the County. The Auditor’s office processes approximately 4,300 warrants per month.
The Budget Accounting department is also charged with the responsibility of reporting tax identification information for vendors doing business with the County to state and federal agencies. Below find information concerning requirements for completing a Substitute Form W9/Ohio Reporting Form for both Internal Revenue and Ohio Child Support Reporting.
Request for Substitute Form W9/Ohio Reporting Form
Any individual or company that is performing a service for one of the County departments must fill out this federal tax form before payment can be issued. When the form is filled out, the individual or company is assigned a vendor number in the budget accounting system. Stark County considers anyone a vendor to whom a check is written, other than payroll.
Purchasing
A Deputy Auditor in the Purchasing Division processes all requisitions and purchase orders for the Auditor's Department, is responsible for seeing that supplies are on hand as needed, and distributes them to the Auditor's staff on a timely basis.
Payroll
The Deputy Auditors in the payroll division produce bi-weekly paychecks and maintain pay records for all County elected and appointed officials, approximately 2,500 County employees. They are also responsible for the preparation and distribution of all payroll deductions that includes all taxes, 11 unions, 2 deferred compensation programs, 2 credit unions, 2 retirement systems, child support, insurance, garnishments and attachments.
Request for Taxpayer Identification Form
Any individual or company that is performing a service for one of the County departments and is not a corporation, must fill out this federal tax form before payment can be issued. When the form is filled out, the individual or company is assigned a Vendor number in the budget accounting system. Stark County considers a vendor anyone, other than payroll, to whom a check is written.
If a vendor providing a service is not a corporation, and is paid $600 or more in a calendar year, the money earned is subject to the issuance of a 1099, and a W-9 tax form must be completed. The request form is used to identify whether or not the payment is reportable on the 1099. All payments to medical providers and attorneys must be reported on 1099s if paid $600 or more in a calendar year.
If Stark County enters into a land purchase or easement agreement with an individual or company, the W-9 form must also be filled out to determine if a 1099 must be issued.