The City of Coppell’s Finance Department is known for many things: consistently developing and presenting an annual budget and financial report that exceed standards and maintaining an AAA bond rating with both Moody’s and Standards and Poor’s to name a few. However, behind the scenes, much of what the department does involves engaging with residents and strategizing with other departments to outline the best approach to achieve community goals. for the best outcome. To better reflect the team’s full array of services and to better align with the City of Coppell’s culture, the department decided to usher in the 2022-2023 fiscal year with a new name: Strategic Financial Engagement.
“The name ‘Finance’ focuses on the technical aspect of what we do and provides no human component, so it does not align with the City’s culture, which is people focused,” said Director of Strategic Financial Engagement Kim Tiehen. “Our new name, Strategic Financial Engagement, communicates both a technical focus and acknowledges the people involved. It is consistent with how our team thinks and serves.”
All of the Strategic Financial Engagement Department’s accomplishments in the last budget year, including the implementation of new Utility Billing software, as well as goals for fiscal year 2023, including exploring ways to become more paperless, involve strategizing with — and the cooperation of — several different departments, Tiehen said. The name change reflects not only what the department is already doing, but also what it strives to continue doing, which is to strengthen relationships with all other departments in order to strategize effectively and better serve the residents of Coppell.
“The name change communicates that we are more than numbers, policies, and processes,” Tiehen said. “Many of us start off a new year with resolutions to improve some aspect of our lives. This Fiscal New Year we changed our name and are committed to engaging with our residents and strategizing with other departments to better serve our community.”
While the name has changed, the service quality of the Strategic Financial Engagement Department remains the same. Visit coppelltx.gov/transparency to learn more and explore the City of Coppell’s financial documents.