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Municipal Finance: Comprehensive Fiscal Training for Local Governments | Fayetteville

Fayetteville Technical Community College - Fayetteville, NC, Fayetteville, NC  
Tuesday, March 25, 2025 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM   iCalendar Eastern Standard Time

Learn the Basics and Best Practices of Municipal Finance

This full-day training is offered for just $40 thanks to support from NCLM's Municipal Accounting Services program. 

A course from NCLM covering everything you need to know about municipal finance. This training is meant for all local government leaders -- elected officials, managers, finance directors, and more -- and is designed to be a one-stop shop for municipal financial education. Whether you are new to your role or a seasoned veteran of local government, this course will provide you with the foundational tools and best practices to make an immediate difference in your town. 

In this training, participants will:

  • Review significant requirements of the North Carolina Local Government Budget and Fiscal Control Act per General Statutes, Chapter 159.
  • Recognize the importance of compliance with the Fiscal Control Act in achieving a sustainable financial management system.
  • Recognize the importance of good stewardship of taxpayer funds.
  • Identify how the roles of municipal administrative officials and elected board members relate to each other and to financial operations.
  • Explain the importance of following best practices to achieve fiscal health.
  • Review ten practical keys to a board or management's oversight of their financial management program

Completion of this training will meet requirements under G.S. 160A-148, and will lead to the NCLM Financial Management Certification (six required training hours) and contribute to the NCLM Certificate of Municipal Achievement (12 required training hours). Learn more about NCLM's AML Certification program here. 

Course Audience

Elected officials, managers, finance directors, budget professionals, and all other municipal staff.

Course Topics

  • The Local Government Finance Environment in North Carolina
  • Finance Officer Duties, Monthly Reports and Fund Balance
  • The Budget
  • Pre-Auditing and the Purchasing Process
  • The Annual Audit
  • Debt Management
  • Internal Controls
  • Utility Finance
  • Other Financial Items and Recent Legislation
  • Ethical Issues
  • Ten Keys to Board Oversight

 

Cost 
$40 per participant. Lunch is free and included. Registration is required.

Locations 
This training will be offered Spring 2025 in four locations across North Carolina. Please visit our NCLM Event Page to learn more.

  • Feb. 19 - New Bern, NC
  • Feb. 25 - Mebane, NC
  • March 12 - Boiling Springs, NC
  • March 25 - Fayetteville, NC
     

Agenda 
9 a.m. - Financial Management, Part 1 
12 p.m. - Lunch (included) 
1 p.m. - Financial Management, Part 2 
2 p.m. - The 10 Keys to Board Oversight 
4 p.m. - Certifications Awarded

 

Course Instructors

Perry James is employed as a Senior Consultant for the North Carolina League of Municipalities, responsible for initial development and assistance on the League’s new Municipal Accounting Services (MAS) Program.  He developed major parts of the MAS program designed to provide new government specific software and accounting assistance to many small governments in North Carolina.  Previously, he was a Municipal Operations Consultant with the League, serving primarily the mid to northeast territory of the state.

Perry joined the League after retiring in 2017 from the City of Raleigh where he was the Chief Financial Officer, also serving for a period as the Interim City Manager.  Perry is a CPA and belongs to the N.C. Association of CPA’s and the American Institute of CPA’s. Perry graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.  He has served on the Board of the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) and was President of the North Carolina GFOA. Perry is also the author of the booklet Ten Keys to Effective Governing Board Oversight.

 

 

Susan McCullen, CPA 
Accounting Assistance Consultant, NCLM

  
Susan McCullen is a Consultant with the North Carolina League of Municipalities’ Municipal Accounting Services (MAS) Program.  Prior to joining the NCLM in 2023, Susan served as the Fiscal Management Section Director for the NC Local Government Commission.  Susan also served as the Finance Director for Wake County, NC, retiring from that role in 2018 after twenty-two years with the County.  

Susan received her BBA with a concentration in Accounting from Middle Tennessee State University.  She is a CPA who served on the National GFOA Subcommittee for Cash Management and Treasury Matters and is a member of the NC GFOA.  

         

Sharon Edmundson, MPA, CPA 
Director of Municipal Finance Programs, NCLM

  
Sharon Edmundson is the Director of Municipal Finance Programs with the North Carolina League of Municipalities. Sharon is the former secretary of the Local Government Commission and a deputy treasurer for the State and Local Government Finance division of the North Carolina Department of State Treasurer. She has over 30 years of experience in governmental and public accounting.

Sharon received her B.S. in business administration with a concentration in accounting from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a master’s degree in public administration from North Carolina State University. She is a member of the North Carolina Association of CPAs and is a long-time member of its Governmental Resource Group. She also serves as an adjunct faculty member at the UNC School of Government in the online MPA program.

Meeting Location

Fayetteville Technical Community College - Fayetteville, NC  

2817 Fort Bragg Rd
General Classroom Building - Room 108
Fayetteville, NC 28303

Map & Directions

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