CFO who Answers to You
The role of Clinton Township Treasurer is quite a bit different than Treasurers in most municipalities. Most are appointed administrators who report to a Mayor, a City Manager or the City Council, like in St. Clair Shores or Sterling Heights. Some cities, like Warren and Roseville do have elected Treasurers, they generally do not serve as a voting member of the City Council. While all other Township Treasurers have this dual role of being an elected administrator/Chief Financial Officer and a voting member of the governance board of Trustees, Clinton Township’s population size, with over 100,000 residents, makes us the largest Township in the state and the 8th largest municipality in Michigan.
Accountability
Some argue, a Treasurer who reports to the Mayor or City Manager is more efficient: with one person in charge. As a Treasurer elected by voters I serve as an independent manager of the Township’s finances who reports to you (and the Board of Trustees) rather than some other official in the chain of command.
Because I’m Put Here By You, I’m Accountable to You.
I’m also a Voice for You. As a voting member of the Board of Trustees and the person most responsible for dealing with the Township’s funds, I vote on the budget proposed by the Supervisor and help shape the policies on how Departments provide services in our community, always with an eye on how much it will cost.
A Lean Office
“I called your office to ask a question, but wasn’t expecting to actually talk to you.”
I hear that line a lot. The Clinton Township Treasurer’s office works with all of the schools, libraries, the county, the college, the Metro parks, and the Township to collect their millages for them. Could you imagine writing separate checks to all of the organizations that you see on both your winter and summer tax bills? We get out more than 33,000 tax bills, twice a year, receive those funds and then make sure the right amounts get to where they are supposed to go. We also process payment for more than 27,000 water bills monthly. In that process, my office ensures we comply with all of the state laws that govern this process.
We do that with a staff of 5 people: a Deputy Treasurer, a Senior Account Clerk, two cashiers and me.
So when you hear my voice on the phone, know that someone may be at the window, others may be balancing funds received, receipting a mailed or online payment, processing a vendor payment, or one of the countless other tasks. Small staff, but big results.
Investing Your/Townships Money Better
The start of any investment plan is predicated on knowing when the money is coming in, and when it needs to go out. In November of 2016, you elected me to serve as your Treasurer. In December and January, I began working with the Clinton Township Accounting Department to develop anticipated monthly cash flow reports, and finding the allowable investments that would produce higher investment returns.
That became the basis for an effective investment strategy that keeps our dollars safe, ensures they are available when needed and produces better investment returns. As interest rates rose over the next three years, so too did the Township’s returns.
Paul’s Record as Treasurer:
- Fiscal Year 1—increased investment income from $200,000 to $600,000, a 200% increase
- Fiscal Year 2—increased investment income from $600,000 to $1.2 million, a 100% increase
- Fiscal Year 3—increased investment income from $1.2 million to $1.4 million, an 8% increase
Experience and Education Matter
Paul Gieleghem worked as an Administrator for Macomb County Treasurer Ted Wahby, who emphasized, ‘we are here to serve the public, not the other way around!’ Ted issued the mandates, ‘like we don’t take occupied homes,’ and Paul Gieleghem had to figure out how to collect the funds required by law, and help people save their property from foreclosure. He developed the payment plans, worked with the Attorney and the Court to provide extension agreements, created a partnership agreement with Certified Housing Counselors at Michigan State University’s Macomb County office to provide free counseling help, and utilized the STEP Forward MI program to help struggling homeowners utilize the federal bank bailout dollars to help dig out from crushing debt and pay taxes.
Armed with those experience coming in to the job of serving as your Township Treasurer, Paul Gieleghem made a commitment to upgrading his knowledge and completed a three-year education program offered by the Michigan Municipal Treasurer’s Association, earning the designation as a Michigan Certified Public Treasurer (MiCPT) and later earned the title of Certified Public Funds Investment Manager (CPFIM) from the Association of Public Treasurers of the United States and Canada.
“An Investment in Knowledge pays the best interest“. Benjamin Franklin
Technology and Customer Convenience
Paul knows that working families are busy and have a lot of demands on their time. He know that taxes and monthly water bills are not always at the top of the priority list.
The Township’s online and phone payment vendor wasn’t keeping pace with new technology and more and more people are now paying with their smart phone or tablet. Paul worked with the water department, and IT staff to choose a payment vendor that would maintain a no fee payment option, save the Township money, allow customers to set up water bill auto pay, and that was integrated with our current software making us more efficient and display payments in real time.
Better technology offered better service, more options, and more customer convenience, while protecting your sensitive financial information.
Keeping you Informed
Paul Gieleghem know that together we make decisions about taxes. The items we pay on our tax bill are usually the result of a millage adopted by us, as voters. That’s why he developed an insert, Where Our Tax Dollars Go, so we can understand what we pay and what services those dollars fund. He’s written articles for placement in the Township newsletters that help us understand some of the factors that help determine how tax bills are calculated, like; Assessed Value, Proposal A and state revenue sharing.