Recently the workshop ‘Accountability and the Budget Cycle’ took place at Divi Little Bay Beach Resort.
The workshop was funded by USONA and organized by the Secretariat of the Council of Ministers Sint Maarten. The workshop participants consisted of the Financial Controllers of the seven Ministries, as well as, representatives of the Treasury Department and the Section Financial Policy, Taxes and Budgeting.
Mrs. Angela Dekker, USONA Manager Sint Maarten, presented the participants with their certificate at the end of the two-day workshop.
The workshop facilitators were Professor dr. Khi V. Thai of Florida Atlantic University (FAU) School of Public Administration and Mr. Scott Miller, PhD.
Dr. Khi Thai is an expert in regard to Public Finance and provides consultancy and trainings in countries all over the world. Most recently, he has provided technical assistance to the South Florida Water Management District, the Government of Sierra Leone, Uganda, Bulgaria, Columbia, and the Federal Government of Canada. In addition, he has served as Director of the Bureau of Public Administration at the University of Maine and as Director of the School of Public Administration at Florida Atlantic University.
Mr. Scott Miller has worked extensively in the private and public sector in the United States of America. Currently he is a managing partner and senior director in two consulting firms specialized in consulting governments and the private sector situated in California. His last position in the public sector was as Chief Financial Officer and Director of Finance and Administrative Services in Broward County, Florida. Broward County has a lot of similarities with Sint Maarten as it also includes an international Airport and Harbor.
Both facilitators discussed and shared with the workshop participants the following topics ‘The four pillars of sound Public Financial Management’, Budget Cycle: Fiscal and Technical perspectives, Budgetary techniques, Fiscal Responsibility and Management, Treasury/Financial Management, Budget and Financial Auditing and Accounting and Issues in Budget Execution.
A workgroup has been formed as a result of the workshop, with as objective to further develop relevant policies and budgetary tools to assist the budget cycle on Sint Maarten. Both dr. Thai and Mr. Miller have pledged their on-going assistance in guiding the workgroup in their actions.