Category: Budget Certification Programs

Are You Certifiable 2.0?

This is a revised and updated version of the “Are You Certifiable?” that was posted in “Death & Taxes” on November 11, 2016.  This post reflects the new online process for testing in the North Carolina Finance Officers Certification Program, as well as the overall process and requirements to obtain certification recognition.  The previous version of the blogpost has been removed.

The above question has been posed to me time and again over the years, probably for obvious reasons!  (And the quick answer is…yes, I am! But I digress…)  However, it was not posed from the perspective of how I am using it in this context. One of the most common phone calls or e-mails that I receive on a regular basis relates to the North Carolina Finance Officers Certification Program.  As more and more baby boomers have their retirement lunches and collect their gold watches (click here for more on that topic!), the turnover in local government finance across the state and the infusion of newly minted local government finance employees has contributed to the exploding interest in this program.  This blog focuses on the specifics of the program, educational and testing requirements, and other frequently asked questions.  This is an updated version of a previously posted blog about the certification program to address the new by-laws and the introduction of the online testing format.

Continue reading

NCGFOA CERTIFIED FINANCE OFFICER EXAMS REGISTRATION OPENED

Registration for the NCGFOA Certified Finance Officer Exams on October 25 and 26 will opened today, Wednesday, October 17 at 8:00 a.m.  The following links are for instructions on the registration process and for the registration links page directly.  Please note that the School of Government has a new registration system and you may be required to create an account if you have not recently.  All of this information is in the instructions page.

REGISTRATION WILL BE AVAILABLE UNTIL MONDAY, OCTOBER 22, AT NOON.

Continue reading

Budgeting in Local Government course: Registration now open

Budgeting in Local Government
November 6-9, 2018, School of Government

This four-day course covers the legal and management framework of budget preparation and enactment in North Carolina local government.  Participants will discuss the numerous processes and techniques used to produce an annual operating budget and capital budget.

Continue reading

Budgeting in Local Government: Registration now open

Budgeting in Local Government
October 31st – November 3rd, 2017, School of Government

This four-day course covers the legal and management framework of budget preparation and enactment in North Carolina local government.  Participants will discuss the numerous processes and techniques used to produce an annual operating budget and capital budget.

Continue reading

North Carolina Budget & Evaluation Officer Certification: FAQ

There is always room on the wall for a new shiny credential and on your resume for that matter.

The mission of the North Carolina Local Government Budget Association (NCLGBA) is to promote the budgeting profession through education, networking, and advocacy. As a strategy to promote the educational component of this mission, the NCLGBA created a certification program in July 2008 for members of the association to become Certified Budget & Evaluation Officers. Individuals seeking to become a Certified Budget & Evaluation Officer must possess a certain level of professional experience, must take four courses, and must pass three exams. I am writing this blog to respond to some of the most common questions associated with the certification, with the goal of promoting the certification program among budget and evaluation professionals.

Continue reading

Yay!! I’m Certified!!  Now What?

certified-stamp1 In my previous post, Are You Certifiable?, I reviewed the North Carolina Finance Officers’ Certification program, sponsored by the North Carolina Government Finance Officers Association (NCGFOA).  As was probably clear in the post, the process is challenging but certainly doable, and those that become certified finance officers in North Carolina should definitely be proud of their achievement.  But after the months (or years) of classes, studying, and testing, what happens after the success?  Is the certification permanent (just like an appointment on the United States Supreme Court)? Does it expire? DO I HAVE TO TAKE THE TESTS AGAIN?? This blogpost will summarize the “post-certification” years and how certified finance officers must continue maintaining the high standards that got you where you are in the first place.

Continue reading

Budgeting in Local Government Course

Registration is open for the School of Government’s Budgeting in Local Government course!

This is a great course that is designed for anyone who has responsibilities regarding local government budget preparation.  It also counts towards the Local Government Finance Officers Certification Program and the North Carolina Budget & Evaluation Officer Certification Program.

I am always excited to teach in this course, but I am particularly excited this year because Bill Rivenbark and I are co-directing it (before I take the reins next year).

Some of the topics include: economic development, tax efficiency and equity, financial condition analysis, revenue forecasting, citizen engagement, budgeting for schools, budgeting for enterprises, and the revenue-neutral property tax rate.

I hope to see some of you there this November!

Here is the link to register: https://www.sog.unc.edu/courses/budgeting-local-government

© 2024 Copyright,
The University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Theme by Anders NorenUp ↑