Know the office

What does the City Comptroller do?

It's an office built around transparency, so it matters a great deal who holds it.

In the City of Grand Rapids, the elected Comptroller serves as the chief auditing and accounting officer. The role’s core statutory responsibilities include monitoring financial activities across all city departments, conducting internal audits, keeping official records of city funds, and managing payroll, accounts payable, and general accounting services.

The City Charter establishes the Comptroller as an independent fiscal watchdog. In practice, the day-to-day fulfillment of these duties has at times been the subject of administrative and legal dispute. That is one more reason the office calls for steady, independent, transparency-minded leadership.

Primary duties & responsibilities

Financial oversight

Monitoring all financial activities of the City Commission and city departments.

Auditing

Heading the city’s auditing department, conducting internal audits of government services, and ensuring the sufficiency of financial controls.

Accounting operations

Managing accounts payable, payroll processing, and overall accounting services.

Financial reporting

Publishing monthly and annual financial reports and keeping accurate records of all city funds.

From the Grand Rapids City Charter (§90, Sec. 4)

The Charter spells out the Comptroller’s duties in detail. In plain summary:

(a): Shall issue and sign all checks, drafts, or warrants for payment of money from the City Treasury when the expenditure has been authorized by the City Commission and the correct amount certified.
(b): Shall keep an accurate, detailed account of all taxes assessed by the City and of all money due the City from any and every source.
(c): Shall keep an accurate, detailed account of moneys received and the several sources from which derived.
(d): Shall keep an accurate, detailed account of all funds of the City and the disbursements made therefrom.
(e): Shall prescribe a uniform method of keeping the accounts for all departments and offices of the City, conforming to the laws of the State.
(f): Shall examine and audit all accounts against the City and promptly report any default or delinquency; shall not issue any draft, check, or warrant until the correctness of the account is verified and funds are appropriated and available.
(g): The books in all departments shall be balanced each calendar month, with a report made by the Comptroller to the City Commission.
(h): Shall have access to all books, records, and documents kept by any officer, employee, or department; daily reports of moneys collected shall be made to the Comptroller.
(i): Shall audit and report, with recommendations, on all claims and demands for indebtedness incurred by the City.
(j): Shall present annually a detailed statement of the City’s financial condition: all receipts and disbursements, an itemized statement of the City’s debt, and an inventory of all City property at cost and market value.
(k): Shall have the same powers and perform the same duties for the Board of Education as for the City.
(l): Shall perform such other duties as required by the Charter or the City Commission.

Want the official source? Read more at the City’s site:

grandrapidsmi.gov · Comptroller’s Office →

This is the job Dave wants to do well.

Transparency, independent oversight, and a clearer picture of city finances for every resident.

Donate Get involved Endorse Dave