The Christiansburg Town Council, based upon recommendations from their mandated audit with input from that paid auditor and the Finance Committee, recently decided to hire a Treasurer-slash-Finance Director. This will synch up with the retirement of the town's excellent Treasurer.
Finance is one thing (generally making money off of other people's money) and accounting is another (generally classifying revenue or income and expenses in a manner acceptable for IRS requirements and for management reports). Any business owner will tell you that in order to manage a company, you have to know where the money is coming from and where it's going. Anyone who maintains a household budget can tell you the same thing.
The job needs to be filled before the current treasurer retires, hopefully allowing some time for the two of them to work together and get the newbie familiar with policy, procedures and work culture. So it was already advertised. Somehow, however, the advertisement varied depending on where it was placed. It may have been advertised before an actual job description was created, but that's where "other duties as required" becomes so handy. Note there are no current employment opportunities with the town, and none archived on the website.
One ad said CPA required. Another said CPA preferred. CPA stands for certified public accountant and the national median salary is about $51,000 per year. Christiansburg's will pay somewhere between $65,000 and $75,000, according to discussions in the Finance Committee meetings.
Whoever gets the new job, it's also been recommended they have a firm grip and plenty of experience with GASB, or Governmental Accounting Standards Board. Both GASB and CPA criteria come with specialized training, requiring on the job experience, and certification or licensure.
The town's charter states the chief of police and treasurer and town manager all report directly to town council. The charter allows this to vary (with council's blessing), and it does, so that these two positions report to the town manager (who also tells people he rides with that he'll be retiring soon, too).
Given these certifications and license requirements, perhaps council does need to remove any steps in a future chain of command, along with any conflict of interest. This would require the job incumbents report directly to town council, not through the manager. As a licensed or certified professional, that should be the preference of the incumbent. Like the town attorneys, who work on behalf of the town citizens, they are responsible for advising council on legal matters and work closely the town manager to manage billable hours and costs (don't search for them online, they apparently don't have a valid web address).
The town attorney; however, does not work "for" the town manager or council, and instead must always first protect the interests of the town and its citizens. We suggest the organizational structure be reviewed, while the job description is still being finalized and considering future transitions. Ultimately, Christiansburg residents pay for this service and expertise.