South Carolina Legislature

HOUSE LEGISLATIVE OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE
Comptroller General's Office


Subcommittee: Executive

Subcommittee Chair: Gary E. Clary

Subcommittee Members: Hon. Robert Q. Williams, Hon. Weston Newton, Hon. Laurie Slade Funderburk

Agency Website: http://www.cg.sc.gov/Pages/default.aspx

Agency Head: Richard A. Eckstrom

Study Contact: Eddie Gunn
Contact Email: egunn@cg.sc.gov

Agency Information

 

Agency Goals & Strategic Plan

At the highest level, an agency's goals logically and naturally derive from the agency's mission statement. Goals state what the agency wants to accomplish over the next two or three years. They provide the basis for decisions about the nature, scope, and relative priorities of all programs and activities. Agency actions should facilitate the attainment of one or more goals.

Below are links, by year, to Excel documents that include details about the agency goals, objectives in the agency's strategic plan, and the programs that help the agency accomplish its strategic plan. Also included is an overview of the agency's strategic plan at the time the Subcommittee was meeting with the agency. This information was provided by the agency in its Annual Restructuring Report, Program Evaluation, Request for Information, or Accountability Report.

In the Strategic Plan Details Excel document, details of the goals are on one tab and details for each objective are on separate individual tabs. The Objective tabs include the person responsible for ensuring the agency accomplishes the objective; amount spent to accomplish it; performance measures; potential negative impact to the public if the agency does not accomplish it; any external or internal reviews or audits which relate to it; and the entities with whom the agency is currently working in order to accomplish the objective.

The Agency Programs and Related Objectives Excel document includes a list of the agency's programs, a description of the program, the legal standard requiring the program and the objective in the strategic plan that the program helps to accomplish.

Click on any of the links below to go to the applicable part of this webpage:

Strategic Plan Overview

Goal 1 - To verify the validity and legality of vendor payment requests by state agencies and process statewide payroll accurately and timely

  • Public Benefit/Intended Outcome: Accountable, efficient, timely operation of the agency's Statewide Payroll/Accounts Payable Division (program area)
  • Responsible Employee: Ronnie Head, Senior Assistant Comptroller General (Statewide Payroll/Accounts Payable) (Responsible for more than 1 year)

    Strategy 1.1 - Process disbursement requests by agencies in a timely manner

  • Objective 1.1.1 - Process disbursement requests by agencies within four (4) business days

    Strategy 1.2 - Process annual 1099s in a timely manner

  • Objective 1.2.1 - Issue 1099s by Jan. 31 annually

    Strategy 1.3 - Process semi-monthly payroll in a timely manner

  • Objective 1.3.1 - Process payroll on the 1st and 16th of each month
  • Objective 1.3.2 - Process approx. 32,000 special voluntary deductions for state employees each payroll, including premiums for insurance products not offered by state government, elective credit union deposits, withholdings for voluntary defined contribution retirement plans, tax liens, and court-ordered wage garnishments

    Strategy 1.4 - Issue annual W-2s in a timely manner

  • Objective 1.4.1 - Issue W-2s by Jan. 31 annually

    Strategy 1.5 - Assist agencies by responding to tickets we receive from the SCEIS Help Desk relating to agencies' questions about vendor payments and payroll processing

  • Objective 1.5.1 - Clear SCEIS Help Desk tickets within five (5) business days

Goal 2 - To produce the State's Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) on a timely basis and enhance the State's financial reporting operations

  • Public Benefit/Intended Outcome: Accountable, efficient, timely operation of the agency's Statewide Financial Reporting Division (program area)
  • Responsible Employee: David Starkey, Senior Assistant Comptroller General (Statewide Financial Reporting) (Responsible for more than 1 year)

    Strategy 2.1 - Produce the CAFR in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles and all Governmental Accounting Standards Board requirements

  • Objective 2.1.1 - Publicly release the CAFR by Dec. 31 each year
  • Objective 2.1.2 - Qualify for the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting from the Government Finance Officers Association

    Strategy 2.2 - Develop internal systems solutions to improve CAFR timeliness

  • Objective 2.2.1 - Accelerate the financial reporting and CAFR completion processes, saving additional personnel costs in the process

    Strategy 2.3 - Close the State's books for the previous fiscal year and issue accurate, timely year-end press release

  • Objective 2.3.1 - Issue year-end release no later than Aug. 31

    Strategy 2.4 - Improve competency of accounting personnel throughout state government by offering relevant and low-cost training

  • Objective 2.4.1 - Coordinate providing low-cost "Continuing Professional Education" (CPE) training among CPAs in the CG's Office, State Auditor's Office, and State Treasurer's Office (Note: SC Board of Accountancy requires every CPA to complete 40 hrs. of CPE annually as a condition of retaining professional certification. This training initiative helps state government CPAs meet that costly requirement.)

    Strategy 2.5 - Implement and assist in the development of Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) standards

  • Objective 2.5.1 - Implement all new applicable GASB standards
  • Objective 2.5.2 - Respond to all opportunities to provide input on the development of new GASB standards

    Strategy 2.6 - Maintain active membership in the National Association of State Auditors, Comptrollers and Treasurers (NASACT)

  • Objective 2.6.1 - Respond to all NASACT inquiries seeking agency feedback on new GASB standards and various agency operations

Goal 3 - To provide centralized accounting of the State's financial activities in accordance with the program structure mandated by the S.C. General Assembly

  • Public Benefit/Intended Outcome: Accountable, efficient, timely operation of the agency's Statewide Accounting Division (program area)
  • Responsible Employee: Anjali Griffin, Senior Assistant Comptroller General (Statewide Accounting Services) (Responsible for more than 3 years)

    Strategy 3.1 - Provide timely accounting support to other state agencies as requested or upon finding any incorrectly entered daily accounting transactions

  • Objective 3.1.1 - Produce and maintain an up-to-date online manual of SCEIS accounting practices and procedures
  • Objective 3.1.2 - Provide online Closing Packages with instructions for use by other agencies' accounting personnel at year end (by June 30)
  • Objective 3.1.3 - Ensure agreement of transactions posted in SCEIS and in STARS
  • Objective 3.1.4 - Assemble multi-agency working group monthly to analyze the State's fiscal month and fiscal year-to-date revenue collections to determine accuracy and completeness

    Strategy 3.2 - Administer state government's Unemployment Compensation Fund for State employees

  • Objective 3.2.1 - Determine appropriate annual premiums to bill and collect from state agencies, account for claims paid by third-party administrator, and monitor fund earnings

Goal 4 - To serve citizens and state government by providing financial and other information that promotes openness and accountability in government and by supporting other worthwhile endeavors

  • Public Benefit/Intended Outcome: Accountable, efficient, timely provision of the agency's Other Services (program area)
  • Responsible Employee: Eddie Gunn, Chief of Staff (Responsible for more than 1 year)

    Strategy 4.1 - Meet or exceed all statutory requirements for information disclosure

  • Objective 4.1.1 - Respond to S.C. Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests within an average of 10 or fewer business days

    Strategy 4.2 - Provide citizens financial information in a convenient, understandable, and interesting manner

  • Objective 4.2.1 - Maintain statewide transparency website
  • Objective 4.2.2 - Increase use of website (increase site visits) by improving format and expanding content, and by soliciting the media to inform the public on the website's existence

    Strategy 4.3 - Provide details of travel expenditures incurred by personnel of all state agencies

  • Objective 4.3.1 - Issue and distribute annual Statewide Travel Report by statutory deadline (Nov. 1)
  • Objective 4.3.2 - Post annual Statewide Travel Report on statewide transparency website by Nov. 1

    Strategy 4.4 - Administer the State's Purchasing-Card (P-Card) Rebate Program

  • Objective 4.4.1 - Monitor annual spend volume and disburse P-Card rebate revenue to General Fund and qualifying agencies
  • Objective 4.4. 2 - Produce monthly report of P-Card spending by each state agency including the detailed spending by each agency's cardholders and post report on statewide transparency website

Goal 5 - To effectively manage the divisions, programs, and overall operation of the Comptroller General's Office and to participate in and support other statewide initiatives

  • Public Benefit/Intended Outcome: Accountable, efficient, timely operation of the agency's Administration Division (program area)
  • Responsible Employee: Eddie Gunn, Chief of Staff (Responsible for more than 1 year)

    Strategy 5.1 - Manage agency budget by avoiding "cost creep" in providing services

  • Objective 5.1.1 - Monitor annual cost of each program area (Statewide Accounts Payable/Payroll, Statewide Financial Reporting, Statewide Accounting, Other Services, Administration) on a monthly basis and confront any increases if observed

    Strategy 5.2 - Fulfill all legal and administrative mandates on the agency

  • Objective 5.2.1 - Present concise and accurate annual summaries of agency operations to Budget subcommittees of House and Senate
  • Objective 5.2.2 - Submit Annual Accountability Report by agreed-upon deadline
  • Objective 5.2.3 - Complete EPMS process on or before each employee's annual employment anniversary date for 100% of staff
  • Objective 5.2.4 - Conduct exit interviews for all departing agency personnel and ascertain ways to reduce unwanted turnover of employees

    Strategy 5.3 - Work with SCEIS project team to retire remaining STARS functions

  • Objective 5.3.1 - Support the SCEIS project team in converting remaining functions of the State Treasurer's Office (the only agency still partially on STARS) from STARS to SCEIS

    Strategy 5.4 - Maintain compliance with State statutory and regulatory requirements for cybersecurity policies and procedures

  • Objective 5.4.1 - Perform annual information security assessments and other actions required by the agency's information security policies
  • Objective 5.4.2 - Incorporate and adhere to new state cybersecurity directives as they are issued

    Strategy 5.5 - Support other statewide initiatives for the benefit of citizens and state government overall

  • Objective 5.5.1 - Serve on multi-agency task forces, committees, and authorities dedicated to statewide initiatives

Strategic Plan Documents & Previous Strategic Plans

Responsible Employee Explained

The Responsible Employee for an agency Goal may have different teams of employees to help accomplish the goal. The Responsible Employee is the person who, either alone or in conjunction with a team and appropriate approval, determines the strategy and objectives necessary to accomplish the goal.

The Responsible Employee for an agency Objective may have employees or teams of employees to help accomplish the objective. If it is a small agency, it may be the same person responsible for the overarching goal. The same person is not required to be responsible for all the objectives. The Responsible Employee has some level of decision making power as this person, in conjunction with the team and appropriate approval, sets the performance measure targets and determines the plan for how to accomplish the objective.


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