This is why you don't work for the goverment! - RANT!

[rogers259]

WoW!!!...I need to rant!

I'm currently employed in GIS/IT and one of my job duties in tails purchasing and budgeting for a department of about 80 employees with a annual IT budget of about $150,000. I've been after my fiscal administrator for actual numbers for about a month now to verify our standing. Most of the time I get no reply to my e-mails and it usually takes two phone calls or me showing up in her office to get answers. Everytime I do this I get different answers. So I started taking notes and attempting to get her to e-mail all her responses.

Well our budget used to be handled on an annual basis and my spending could be done anytime throughout the year. Problem is back on July 1st the comapany shifted to a new accounting program. This program apparently breaks spending down into quarters. Now it was the responsibility of the fiscal Administrator to sit down with all of the department admins and discuss budgets/quarter breakdowns. This never happened with any of the admins and none of us were even made aware of what was happening. What did happen...well the fiscal admin decided to break things up evenly among the 4 quarters. This broke my ~$150,000 into equal quarterly expenditures of about ~$37,500.

Ok after trying for two weeks to get numbers out of this lady I finally called a meeting with the higher ups, myself and the fiscal admin to nail numbers down. First thing im told when I asked how much money was left/available for the remainder of the year...She could not tell me, but next wednesday she'd call me with a number. Second I don't have 150,000 that she'd combined my IT budget with another divisions and I only had $50,000 because the other $100,000 was under another divisions money and I can't spend that out of their fund. Third, everything in quarter 1 is gone!!!!!

OK ***!
1. you can't tell me how much money I have?
2. I never really had $150,000, I really only had $50,000?
3. Everything is gone from quarter 1???

OK at this point i'm sure the smoke was pouring out of my ears. When did everything switch to quarter spending? Why was I never informed about the quarter closeing and I had money left? where was the money? WHY do I only have $50,000? I'm so stinking mad I can't even begin to see the color red I'm so bloody past that its not funny.

I went from having what I thought was $150,000 to $50,000 and after finding that out of yea BTW you lost another $12,500 cause you didnt spend it in Q1!!!!

So at best the only thing I can figure right now is that I have probably $37,500 of an original $150,000. I have no freaking clue how the heck I'm even going to begin to pay for half the stuff this department needs this year.

Well had a meeting later in the day with the boss and ran through all my documentation and notes...will see how everything plays out. BUt from what I'm finding out my little $150,000 is nothing compared to other sections that lost millions in Grants because it wasnt spent in Q1. Oh and after all of this this fiscal admin has the gumtion to in a meeting with 5 others talk about how she's just doing all of this to sabotage the department and get a buyout for early retirement.


ARRGHHHHH!!!!

____________
Cliff Notes:
Fiscal Admin $%#& up and plays a shell game with millions of dollars using incorrect funds and spending authority makeing everyones life just that much harder, and still has a job!!!

[drauka99]

welcome to government ---- don't ya love it

[Jeffrey Porter]

i'm in government. yeah it sucks if your there cause you like your job, since most of the rest are in it for the money.

but i'm happy where i am. sorry, doesn't help you.

[Fat Man]

Our fiscal year started October 1st. I don't expect to know what my budget is for at least another four months. I do what I think is right and hope the money is there later.

[drauka99]

Our budget has around 5cent extra in it for unexpected contingincies that should be enough right.....

We had major budget cuts due to our wonderful state legislature recending 5 years worth of tax increases in 1 year, and we had around 3 months to rewrite budgets

oh what fun

[VoidRaven]

I'm in government too...gotta love that "will I be employed next budget cycle" feeling that you have. Fortunately we haven't had any cuts but our new managing entity has decided to seek out some other funding to help support us as it's only a matter of time before the city tries to cut our funding back.

*sigh* Sometimes makes me wonder why I wanted into this field in the first place.

[drauka99]

Originally posted by VoidRaven
*sigh* Sometimes makes me wonder why I wanted into this field in the first place.

"To help people"

I went in because its fairly stable and the private market for what I do is going to the preverbial hot place in a handbasket right now.

Of course with the budget cuts round here I won't be gettign a raise for the next 2 years but you gotta take what you can get.

[Fat Man]

Originally posted by VoidRaven
*sigh* Sometimes makes me wonder why I wanted into this field in the first place.

Me, so I can play with fire and burn stuff up with out going to prison.

[Muttling]

I did that for 15 years. Let me give you some tips on how to make it work.....

Do understand that you really AREN'T in as bad a spot as many other people in the company if you play it right.

Obviously, spend all your money. Fortunately for you, you don't have enough money.


Second: Come up with a solid plan for the funding needs of your department. Item by item of the things or logical groups of things you need to function. Include a very brief description of what it is, why you need it, and the reprocutions of not getting it. Send that letter in an e-mail to your higher ups. (Keep it very very professional and non-emotional or cutting. Just be matter of fact.)

Thrid: Don't expect them to act in any way on your e-mail and just go about your business. A few months later when things can't happen because you didn't get enough funding to make them happen, point to the e-mail and tell them "I can make it happen if you want to fund line item ____ from this message." Again, don't let your frustration get in the way just be very matter of fact about it.


You're in a position where the upper management wants lots of things to happen but they don't want to spend money to make it happen. They see a bunch of computers and thing it should just work without spending any more money.

Realize, YOU are NOT a decision maker here. You're an executions planner and you execute the decisions of others. Give them very very accurate and matter of fact funding information in an e-mail (e-mails are dated and easily documented.) When things start not happening because you weren't properly funded, point to the e-mail and say "I'm doing everything I can with the funding I've been given."

[kevy_kev1]

Originally posted by VoidRaven

*sigh* Sometimes makes me wonder why I wanted into this field in the first place.

in govt too. gotta love this time of year. Our fiscal year begins 0ct 1 and we are under CR. So we know exactly how much our budget is, the same we spent this quarter last year and not a penny more.

as far as taking this job because it is very secure and could take an act of congress to get laid off.

[VoidRaven]

Originally posted by Fat Man
Me, so I can play with fire and burn stuff up with out going to prison.

I think everyone here would agree that FM has probably one of the coolest jobs around.

[jubjubrsx]

i work for a school district...i definitely feel your pain.....money does strange things

[Altpers0na]

if i remember my government procurementing correctly... we never bought the right stuff from the right account..

[gtrestoration]

Originally posted by Altpers0na
we never bought the right stuff from the right account..

I know, that's why my accounts always empty.




SteveU

[Minuteman]

Welcome to the world of the mark... Bwaaahaaahaaaaa

Govt funding is so hosed up it's not funny. If you only knew the gyrations that have to be gone through in preparing and submitting the Presidential Budget, you'd be puking yourself to sleep every night...

[Fat Man]

Originally posted by Minuteman
Welcome to the world of the mark... Bwaaahaaahaaaaa

Govt funding is so hosed up it's not funny. If you only knew the gyrations that have to be gone through in preparing and submitting the Presidential Budget, you'd be puking yourself to sleep every night...

Then there's all the gyrations in dispersing it to the field. That's why the fiscal year is half over before I know what my budget is.

[Muttling]

Just for the record.......It's not JUST government that's all hosed up.....



I've worked for a number of consulting companies, have had many big name clients (e.g. blue chips you'd recognize), and have had most of the government agencies as clients.



They are ALL alike. They don't want to spend any money until the end of the quarter and then they throw it at you because they'll loose it if they don't get rid of it. A few years later, they come back to you asking if it actually went into the right account and was spent appropriately.




A co-worker of mine put it best........ "Accounting doesn't know what the heck was spent where, but I'm happy so long as they show my projects are in the black."

[surfnvb7]

take it easy Francis...

[AcroSteve]

Originally posted by rogers259
of my job duties in tails purchasing ...

That would be "entails". Right?

Unless you purchase tails. I suppose the gvmt needs them.