Fiscal Office

 

Fiscal Officer

The Ohio Revised Code establishes the duties and responsibilities of the Fiscal Officer. The Fiscal Officer is elected to a four-year term that commences on the first day of April following the election.

Term of Fiscal Officer

The Fiscal Officer is an elected official and is independent of the township trustees. The Fiscal Officer is elected to a four-year term that commences on the first day of April following the election.

Harlem Township is a political subdivision of the State of Ohio. Like all townships in Ohio, it has four elected officials consisting of three trustees and a fiscal officer. Each official is elected to a four-year term. Elections occur in odd-numbered years, and two officials are elected or re-elected every other year.

Duties of Fiscal Officer

The Fiscal Officer, by law is independent from the Trustees and is tasked with ensuring the financial well-being of Harlem Township.  This is accomplished by ensuring that funds are spent as legally required and appropriated by the trustees, implementing fiscal controls, and maintaining compliance with Ohio law.  The Fiscal Officer is also tasked with maintaining many of the township’s records.

The Fiscal Officer is responsible for keeping accurate records of township financial accounts and transactions, creating statements of receipts and expenditures. The Fiscal Officer’s duties also include certifying Township affidavits, issuing checks, preparing payroll, and recording Township boundary changes. The Fiscal Officer assists the Trustees and Department heads in formulating appropriations and a Township budget.

Each year the Fiscal Office must prepare an estimate of the revenues and expenditures for the next succeeding year and submit it to the county auditor. Once this is done, a resolution is passed by the trustees that formally adopts the budget as revised and approved by the County Budget Commission.
The Township Fiscal Office and the Trustees must work together, particularly in fiscal matters. Their collective goal is to ensure all decisions and actions comply with the laws and regulations governing township governance.

The Fiscal Officer must attend qualified training classes ever year in their elected position and report the hours to the State of Ohio Auditor. The Fiscal Officer must complete a Sunshine Law class and a Ethics Class as part of the mandated hours yearly.

Lisa Hursey, Fiscal Officer
(740) 965-2661 x4
clerk@harlemtwp.com