Highlights
CPE Opportunities
Take the CGFM Intensive Review Course and the CGFM Examinations at the PDC. Click here for more information.
PDC 2005 Registration Now Open
Join us in sunny Orlando for the government financial management education event of the year! AGA invites you to attend its 54th Annual Professional Development Conference & Exposition, to be held July 10 – 13, 2005, in Orlando, FL. PDC 2005 promises to be an excellent learning and networking opportunity for government financial managers and accountability professionals. Education sessions will provide technical training, useful information on emerging trends, tools to help you become more effective and lessons from the best in the business. We have also arranged a number of social events to ensure an exceptional conference experience. You can register online or print the registration form to register by fax or mail. Advance registration discounts apply to all forms received before June 10, 2005. Click here to register.
Deadlines Near for Chapter Newsletter, Website Contests
It is time once again for the annual Chapter Newsletter Editor and Website contests. Newsletter submissions are due April 15, 2005. Click here for more details. The judging for the chapter website award begins on Monday, April 25. Click here to view the website judging criteria.
Click here to view the current listing of chapter website URL addresses and groups (please review this information and contact Jenn Curtin if any changes need to be made).
Studying for CGFM Examinations?
Be sure to order one of the study guides available for CGFM Exams 2 and 3 to help you prepare. Click here to learn more.
AGA Advertising Opportunities!
Advertise in AGA's electronic newsletters—TOPICS and AGA Today! Get maximum exposure and build your brand. Click here for all the information you need to run your ad! Or, you can contact AGA's Director of Communications, Marie Force. |
April 4, 2005 • News from the Profession
AGA Today is brought to you by AGA Corporate Partner Watkins, Meegan, Drury & Company
 Watkins, Meegan, Drury & Company, a large regional CPA firm, is currently seeking experienced professionals for its rapidly growing Government Services Group. Successful candidates will have 2 - 5 years experience in government accounting and consulting. BS in accounting or related field required; CPA, CIA, CISA, CGFM a plus. Click here to e-mail your resume.
The Four Factors That Distinguish 'Robust Organizations'
Civil service expert Paul C. Light proposes that four attributes define "robust organizations" and allow them to maneuver through surprise and disappointment while shaping the future to their liking. Light, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and a keynote speaker at AGA’s National Leadership Conference, discusses them in detail in his new book, "The Four Pillars of High Performance: How Robust Organizations Achieve Extraordinary Results.” The book grows out of research Light began in 1999 at the Rand Corp., where he drew upon the think tank's partnerships and work with federal agencies, the military and private-sector companies. First, Light contends, robust organizations are alert to changing circumstances, which can make them vulnerable or provide them opportunities, and focus on the future. Second, they respond quickly to signs of change and are able to move people and money where needed quickly. Next, as the future unfolds, these organizations experiment with new ways of thinking and doing business. In short, they do not stick with their original game plan forever. The fourth trait, according to Light, is a commitment by organization leaders to keep their eyes on the mission. The leaders communicate constantly, set clear goals for high performance and delegate authority for routine decisions. —Stephen Barr, The Washington Post. Click here to read the entire article.
50 Government Programs Semifinalists for Innovation Award
Fifty of the most creative, forward-thinking, results-driven government programs at the federal, state county and city levels were named semifinalists for the prestigious 18th annual Innovations in American Government Awards. Programs in 10 federal agencies, including two e-government initiatives and two Department of Justice programs, are included in the group. There are 12 semifinalists at the state level, nine at the county level, 12 at the city level, three school districts, two government corporations and two special/regional authorities. There are eight programs from or within California and four from or within New York. Other states with multiple finalists include: Virginia and Washington with three each; and Kentucky, Minnesota, Oregon, Texas and Vermont (all with two each). Six programs will be selected in July to win $100,000 grants for their "novelty and uniqueness, effectiveness in addressing important problems, significance, and the potential for replication by other government entities" in the awards program. —The Council for Excellence in Government. Click here to read more.
Fellows Program Attracts Biggest Turnout in Years
More than 630 finalists for the Presidential Management Fellows Program, one of the government's elite recruiting programs, gathered last week at the Washington Convention Center to begin three days of job interviews with federal agencies. About 3,300 people applied for this year's class of fellows, one of the largest turnouts in recent years. Most of the finalists have completed master's, doctoral or law degrees, and Bush administration officials predicted yesterday that almost all will land a two-year appointment that probably will lead to an offer of a permanent federal job. Dan G. Blair, acting director of the Office of Personnel Management, told the fellows that about half the civil service is projected to retire by 2008, providing opportunities for the fellows and putting pressure on agencies to plan for what kind of work force they will need in the future. "If you are not an agent of change, I would dare say that government service is not your calling today," Blair said. After signing on with an agency, the fellows will spend two years rotating through assignments that acquaint them with the array of work performed in their agency and hopefully groom them for a job on the management track. —Stephen Barr, The Washington Post. Click here to read the entire article.
AGA Today is brought to you by UMUC
Master of Science in Accounting and Information Technology
The MS in Accounting and Information Technology is designed for experienced professionals looking for leading-edge management coursework that integrates technology applications in the workplace, current events, and content relevant to the needs of employers and practitioners. With many courses and study options, UMUC helps you fit a master's degree into your life. University of Maryland University College, an accredited university, is the flexible way to specialize in accounting and information technology. No GRE or GMAT required for master's programs. Call 800.888.UMUC or visit www.umuc.edu/aga for information.
Federal Accounting Corner: Reconciling Reimbursements
Background—To provide services more efficiently, the federal government has encouraged some agencies to provide services to other agencies on a reimbursable basis. The U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has even selected Centers of Excellence to provide financial management and human resource services to other agencies.The Theory—The reimbursable fund life cycle is fairly straightforward. At the beginning of the year, authority is granted by Congress. The authority is then budgeted just like an appropriation, but it is not ready for spending until the reimbursable agreements have been signed. Then funds can be committed, obligated and expended. Once expended, the agency performing the work can bill their clients, or transfer funds directly from their client's Treasury account through an IPAC. If an agreement is with a nonfederal entity, then the agency collects the fee in advance of the expenditure, and applies the advance once the expenditure has been recorded. —by Simcha Kuritzky, CGFM, CPA. Click here to read the entire article.
One of the most recent additions to the AGA Research Program is a project to evaluate best practices in Shared Services Financial Management Operations, sponsored by IBM. Click here to learn more about the scope of the project as well as the other research projects under way.
Survey: Workers Average Only 3 Productive Days Per Week
Unclear objectives, lack of team communication and ineffective meetings are among the top time wasters that workers say make them feel unproductive for as much as a third of their work week on average, according to results of recent online survey.The survey showed Americans work an average of 45 hours a week; they consider about 16 of those hours to be unproductive. They spend 5.5 hours a week in meetings, and 71 percent said the meetings aren’t productive. —AccountingWEB. Click here to read the entire article.
Congress Still Worried About Performance-Based Budgets
Staff members of congressional appropriations committees support performance-based budgeting in concept, but remain critical of efforts to structure budget justifications around performance goals, according to a recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) study. Congressional staffers interviewed by GAO between May 2003 and December 2004 said that budget justifications organized around performance tend to contain too much about broad management strategy and too little on workload, output and other factors traditionally considered in allocations. Narrative included in performance-based justifications is "too voluminous" and too "cumbersome and difficult to use," some staff members told GAO. Others "were concerned about what they described as insufficient consultation in developing the new budget structures," the report stated. —Amelia Gruber, Government Executive. Go here http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0305/032105a1.htm to read the entire article.
 TOPICS is Brought to you by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO)
Financial Auditors/Standards Experts
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) seeks experienced financial auditors and standards experts to manage significant segments of GAO's annual audit of the Consolidated Financial Statements of the U.S. Government and GAO's standards-related efforts. To apply, visit www.gao.gov, register in GAO Careers and submit your online application.
 GASB Issues Preliminary Views on Pollution Remediation Obligations
The Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) has approved for comment a Preliminary Views (PV) document titled Accounting and Financial Reporting for Pollution Remediation Obligations. The due process document highlights the board’s preliminary views concerning accounting and financial reporting standards for pollution remediation obligations, which are obligations to address the current or potential detrimental effects of existing pollution by participating in pollution remediation activities. Under the proposal, once any one of five specified obligating events occurs, governments would be required to determine if the components of expected pollution remediation outlays can be reasonably estimated and determine whether outlays for those components should be accrued as a liability or, in limited circumstances, capitalized when goods and services are acquired. Download the PV, or order one free copy of the PV (order code GV08) until June 24, 2005 by phoning 800.748.0659. The deadline for submitting comments is June 24, 2005. In addition, a public hearing has been scheduled for Wednesday, June 29, in San Antonio, TX. Anyone who intends to participate in the public hearing should submit a written notice of intent by June 17, 2005. Additional information is included in the PV.
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