10 Common Errors in Local Government Finance - And How to Avoid Them

Even experienced financial officers can fall into avoidable traps that lead to audit findings, funding shortfalls, or reputational risk. This course explores the most common—and costly—errors made in local government finance and provides practical, actionable strategies to prevent them.

From incomplete account reconciliations and unbalanced service area budgets to overlooked PILT adjustments and poor reserve planning, each module walks through what goes wrong, why it matters, and how to fix it. Grounded in real-world examples and best practices from across British Columbia, this course is designed to strengthen your financial leadership and ensure legislative and procedural compliance.

You’ll learn how to:

• Implement effective reconciliation reviews

• Communicate financial impacts clearly to Council and Boards

• Navigate statutory spending limits with confidence

• Handle PILT and supplementary assessments accurately

• Place smart investments while following the legislation

• Adjust reserves for inflation and growth

• Maintain a reliable and audit-ready TCA ledger

• Reconcile budgetary and PSAB surpluses

• Ensure fund and service-level balancing

• Properly classify capital vs. operating expenditures

This course is ideal for municipal and regional district finance professionals seeking to sharpen their oversight, improve internal controls, and lead their organizations with clarity and confidence.