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FINANCE & TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT
CITY OF SURREY OVERVIEWS
2 0 1 5 A C C O M P L I S H M E N T S
• Completed review of the Property tax
section to evaluate and ensure that
controls and processes in place provide
confidence that all taxes, levies and
charges are being appropriately applied
and collected.
• Received the Canadian Award for Financial
Reporting for the 2014 Annual Report and
the Distinguished Budget Presentation
Award for the 2015–2019 Financial Plan.
• Continued to develop the City’s new
Financial System, upgrading the
processes, adding Accounts Receivable
functionality and continuing with overall
process efficiencies.
• Continued to advance E-Finance services
such as e-billing, invoice submission,
electronic fund transfers.
• Through the City’s energy efficient printer
fleet, along with sustainable practices
like duplex printing and scanning, annual
print volume decreased by 27%, energy
use and GHG emissions reduced by
47% (84,000 kWh and 0.76t CO2e
respectively), paper use reduced by
10.2 tonnes (duplexing saved 1.12M
sheets of 20lb paper), and toner waste
reduced by 7.2 tonnes through the use of
environmentally friendly resin-based ink.
• Implemented annual stewardship
replacement actions to proactively
safeguard the stability, security,
supportability and performance of
the City’s mission critical computing
platforms, enabling the City to be agile
and highly responsive to opportunities
offered by rapidly evolving technological
advancements.
• City of Surrey was named as one of
the Top 7 Intelligent Communities
of 2015 by NewYork-based think tank
Intelligent Community Forum.
• Improved compliance with legislation
and the City’s ability to identify and
mitigate cyber security risks through
enhancements to the City’s Cyber Security
Risk Assessment Process including the
implementation of an Advanced Threat
Detection system.
• Enabled organizers of special events
to submit applications online via a user
friendly web application. The entire
application and approval can be performed
online on a single platform.
• Created the Canadian Anti-Spam
Legislation (CASL) assessment process
and aligned it with the current PIA/
Security review process.
The Finance &Technology Department delivers financial expertise, risk management, information technology
services, advice and guidance to support all City operations. The Department provides responsive services and
innovative solutions required to streamline City processes, facilitating gains in efficiencies. The Department
leads process improvements and sets, as well as maintains, financial and information technology practices,
policies and standards. The department has the responsibility for the following divisions/sections:
FINANCIAL REPORTING
Financial Reporting includes long-term financial planning, annual
budget development, accounting, procurement and statutory financial
reporting; responsible for presenting an annual five-year financial plan
which establishes financial and programming priorities. The Financial
Reporting Division also keeps Management and Council informed about
the City’s financial performance on a quarterly basis, ensuring the City
meets its annual budget and targeted savings. In addition, this Division
coordinates the procurement of high quality, cost-effective goods and
services, while ensuring all polices are followed and best practices
implemented. The Procurement section follows applicable legislation
and ensures appropriate public and competitive processes are applied.
FINANCIAL SERVICES
Financial Services includes payroll, investments, treasury, cash
management, accounts payable, and taxation. Staff calculate, levy, and
collect property taxes, water and sewer billing and other payments, to
ensure completeness and accuracy, as well as monitor cash flow and
invest funds for maximum return while minimizing risk and adhering to
the City’s Investment Policy. Staff also ensure that all employees are
paid correctly on a bi-weekly basis and that external vendor invoices
are paid in a timely and cost effective manner.
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (IT)
Information Technology (IT) works to implement and support
innovative technological best practices to maximize efficiencies
in City service delivery, and improve customer service; as a
corporate service, this includes providing all City departments
with consulting, technology research, analysis, development,
maintenance and support.
RISK MANAGEMENT
Risk Management provides service and expertise in risk
management, insurance, claims, litigation and loss control. By
incorporating Enterprise Wide Risk Management practices, they
are able to identify, manage and reduce the overall cost of risk.
INTERNAL AUDIT
Internal Audit is responsible for reviewing business processes,
policies and procedures for efficiency, control and compliance.
It also investigates internal and external breaches of control,
conducts specialized projects, investigates breaches related
to the City’s Code of Conduct Bylaw, provides commodity tax
services to the City and develops the annual Corporate Audit Plan.
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