Financial information transfer in municipal government: An examination of communication between government finance officers and municipal boards

• In Event: Communication and Transparency in Government

Abstract

At the municipal level, individuals are elected to government boards from the general public, and may not be the savvy business person we would expect in the corporate environment. Municipal board members may lack knowledge specific to governmental accounting and budgeting, or may have little experience in business, economic, and financial matters. These individuals may also be motivated by self-interest or special interest groups. As such, the Government Finance Officer (GFO) may have difficulty relaying technical information to them, either because the GFO may feel the board member does not have the competency to understand and use the information, or because the GFO does not believe the information will be used in an appropriate manner. This study investigates the completeness and timeliness of information shared with boards by Government Finance Officers (GFO) based on their trust in the board. Further we examine how the relationship is influenced by the GFO’s individual preference for honesty and transparency of the municipality.

Authors

• Janet Jones, University of Minnesota-Duluth

• Amy Foshee Holmes, Trinity University

• Brooklyn Cole, Radford University

• Mary Fischer, University of Texas-Tyler