Welcome to the Finance Department
The Finance Department operates the Customer Service Center and provides direct services to the entire Berkeley community, which includes approximately 102,000 residents and more than 11,000 businesses. Our Department also provides a wide variety of support services, including financial analysis and reporting, billing and collection, procurement, contract administration and vendor transactions for all City departments.
The Finance Department's mission is "To conduct all of our responsibilities with integrity, warrant and receive the trust of colleagues and constituents, and to positively support the delivery of quality services to fulfill the City’s mission and citywide priorities. Within the framework of full disclosure and quality customer service, our principal obligations are to safeguard City assets, maximize revenues, manage the business of City programs, and provide accurate, timely, and complete financial information.”
In carrying out our mission, Finance has a broad range of interactions with our community, as well as for other City of Berkeley departments and the City Council. These include:
- Serving as the City's Chief Financial Officer.
- Managing the City's pooled funds and retirement portfolios.
- Billing and collecting all revenues and providing periodic reports on revenue and revenue projections.
- Preparing the annual tax roll, which affects every parcel of property in the City.
- Interacting with every business in the City through the business license process, as well as issuing permits for taxis, sidewalk vending of arts & crafts, flowers, and food vending.
- Issuing all varieties of parking permits for residents, visitors, and merchants.
- Processing parking citations.
- Hearing many expressions of customer concerns in the course of their everyday transactions with Finance Customer Service and Revenue Collection staff.
- Managing the City's purchasing activity, including bids, RFPs, contracts and payments for vendors doing business with the City.
- Compiling and publishing the City's Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR).
Finance includes 75 employees and operates with a budget of almost $9 million, of which almost 100% is from the General Fund. More than 40% of this budget is dedicated to Customer Service functions.
Accounting
The City's financial accounting and reporting information and services are carried out by Accounting staff. This includes:
For additional information, contact Marvin Tam, Accounting Manager, at (510) 981-7332.
Accounts Payable
Accounts Payable is responsible for the auditing and processing of invoices and payments for the City of Berkeley.
Inquiries should be directed to accountspayable@CityofBerkeley.info, Accounts Payable, at (510) 981-7310.
Customer Service Center
The Finance Customer Service Center is located at 1947 Center Srteet, and is open Monday thru Thursday from 8:30am-4:00pm. Please visit the Customer Service Center web page for more information.
Revenue Collection
Billing and collection of payments for most of the City's programs and services are conducted by Revenue Collection staff. In addition, they prepare Berkeley's property-based tax rolls for the annual Property Tax Statement mailed by Alameda County, as well as the annual renewals for Business License Taxes and Residential Preferential Parking (RPP) Program permits.
Revenue Collection can be reached at (510) 981-7200.
General Services - Procurement
General Services - Procurement administers the City's centralized purchasing system, as well as the City's Print Shop and Mail Services. Procurement is dedicated to providing excellent, responsive and courteous service to City departments and the community by:
- Implementing appropriate laws and ordinances, using a system that is fair, accountable, and promotes competition, impartiality, and the economic use of funds.
- Ensuring City departments receive required materials, supplies, equipment and services on a timely basis.
- Getting maximum value from City resources, staff develops bid specifications jointly with City departments, obtains bids through advertising and direct solicitation, establishes and monitors price agreement contracts, and issues purchase orders.
- Working closely and cooperatively with vendors, Procurement maintains a register of professional and personal services consultants who are interested in working with the City.
- Making Procurement and its personnel successful through training and development.
- Minimizing inventory losses through centralized purchasing and good planning.
- Administering the sale or auction of City surplus property, impounded vehicles, City fleet, and unclaimed confiscated goods through public auctions.
For additional information, email General Services - Procurement or call (510) 981-7320