The town and school finance offices in #MiddletownRI are combining. The aim of the effort Is to improve transparency, provide better service and offer more oversight of the books.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Matt Sheley at (401) 842-6543 or msheley@middletownri.com
TOWN, SCHOOL FINANCE OFFICES SHARING SERVICES
MIDDLETOWN, R.I. (SEPTEMBER 27, 2023) – The finance offices for the Town of Middletown and its schools are merging.
Looking to provide even better service and more oversight of the books, the shared services move was approved recently by the Town Council.
Town Finance Director Marc Tanguay will be in charge of the office. Deputy Finance Director Patrick Guthlein will oversee the municipal finances and accounting and Director Of Shared Financial Services Raquel Pellerin will handle the finances and accounting for the School Department. Pellerin was a former business manager for the Middletown schools before leaving in 2018 for a similar post with the Bristol-Warren Regional School District and then South Kingstown.
Importantly, Town Administrator Shawn J. Brown said the School Committee will retain all of its authority under state law related to the education budget, personnel, contracts and similar spending.
“This is something we’ve been talking about for some time at the council’s urging,” Brown said. “From an efficiency and service standpoint, it makes sense and we’ll be able to deliver even more than we do today by working together under one roof.”
A similar arrangement has been in place for years with the Middletown Public Library. There, a board of directors oversees the policy and operations of the library, but the Town Council sets the bottom line budget. Both the library directors and the school board, need to follow town ordinances and state statutes related to finances.
As part of the new arrangement, Brown said the town’s finance office will continue to provide strong financial controls and reporting on daily operations as well as “big ticket” items like the middle-high school bond.
“In addition to providing better service, the two main priorities are increasing the pace of financial reporting and making the results more transparent to our town officials and community as a whole,” Brown said. “By leveraging what we already have and having one finance team, no one will see a loss of service and I don’t think it’s a stretch to say an improved level of service.”
Currently, the town’s finance arm signs off on all School Department purchasing and spending. That arrangement came about last year at the council’s request amid a call for more financial oversight of the school’s books.
The move to combine finance offices is not unusual in municipal circles these days. A decade ago, it was rare to hear of town and school finances departments working together and breaking out of their own silos.
However, in an era where municipal governments are being asked to do “more with less,” such collaborations are becoming more commonplace. In Middletown, there’s also been talk of also combining town and school maintenance offices and other like functions.
Given the financial realities facing Middletown and other communities, some wonder why such partnerships don’t happen more often. But those assumptions don’t take into account for potential friction between labor contracts, issues with computer software systems, space and similar concerns.
“The council has made it clear they want us to look at opportunities where we can create efficiencies without a loss of service,” Brown said. “This is certainly one and we’re constantly researching other options to do more for our residents and taxpayers.”
“I’m excited about the opportunities created here,” Tanguay said. “Personally, I appreciate the support and know this collaboration is going to be a positive for both the town and our schools.”
Document Link: https://www.middletownri.com/DocumentCenter/View/9462/NYCU-Combine
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