Controller Duties & Functions
The Office of the Controller is committed to promoting the principles of innovation, transparency, efficiency and accountability in county government. To that end, all revenue and expenditures are properly recorded in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles and presented in an understandable manner through a variety of platforms and channels. Through vigorous oversight of Allegheny County’s operations, services, spending, and contracts, the Office of the Controller utilizes every tool available to enhance the public’s trust, bringing county finances and spending into the public eye, conducting audits that meet the highest professional standards, and engaging in timely communications with county officials and the average taxpayer alike on the most relevant fiscal issues facing county government. By promoting transparency and accountability and building confidence in county government, the Controller works to protect the county taxpayer’s dollar and the services on which county residents rely.
The Controller serves ex officio as a member of the Allegheny County Retirement Board, Investment Board, Jail Oversight Board, and Juvenile Detention Board of Advisors.
Services by Division
The Accounting Division monitors the fiscal affairs of the County, processing hundreds of thousands of vendor payments annually, administering payroll, and providing financial reports in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles. This division produces the Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR), a comprehensive and in-depth assessment of County finances meeting Governmental Accounting Standards, and up-to-date interim financial reports on County finances. Responsible for accounting for government assets, the Office of the Controller also maintains a construction inspection team that reviews all new construction, renovation, land use development and public works facility construction projects from start to completion. Furthermore, the Payroll Section processes the paychecks and compensation of the entire County government workforce.
Through the Auditing Division, the Controller ensures that the County is achieving honest, efficient management and full accountability in every aspect of government. The Controller may audit at any time any account of any agency receiving, disbursing, or authorizing the disbursement of County funds. This division performs financial audits, performance audits and attestation services scrutinizing the performance and operations of County departments and their various functions. Our Auditing Division is Peer Reviewed. Very few internal audit departments are Peer Reviewed, which is a program offered by the Association of Local Government Auditors (ALGA), recognizing adherence to professional auditing standards.
The Management Systems Division is responsible for maintaining the County and the City of Pittsburgh pension offices’ financial management software while supporting the Controller’s Office Enterprise Content Management (ECM) functions and sustaining the office’s hardware and software systems. This division operates the JDE Service Center, a shared services organization providing County and City Pension office support for the enterprise resource planning system, JDEdwards EnterpriseOne, and the enterprise content management system, OnBase. The Service Center accepts more than 3,000 Help Desk calls annually from JDE users within the County.
The Division of Administration houses staff dedicated to policy and budget analysis, special project management, community relations, intergovernmental affairs, legal counsel, communications and external relations, human resources, and executive management. In addition to supporting the other divisions’ ongoing efforts, the staff of this division work to further the goals and mission of the Office of the County Controller as the County’s fiscal oversight officer and taxpayer advocate. This is accomplished by the careful research and production of policy projects, the cultivation of key stakeholder relationships, and the continuing pushes toward making Allegheny County government, its business, and its actions more transparent and readily accessible to the public.
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