There are particular individuals inside the City of Scarborough employees who’ve grow to be synonymous with what it means to work for our native authorities — those that have been with the City for a few years and have grow to be a recognizable asset. Finance Director Ruth Porter falls squarely in that class, having labored within the finance division since July 28, 1980 (she started on her mom’s birthday, so it was a very auspicious day for her). After greater than 42 years with the City of Scarborough, Ruth is stepping down from her position as finance director to retire in
early October.

Ruth is a worth to the City not just for her sheer talent and efficacy in her position, but additionally for the tenure and legacy she has in a division that has developed through the years to satisfy the wants of the group.

She began with the City of Scarborough in 1980 when the inhabitants of Scarborough was simply over 11,000. Now it’s doubled at about 22,000.

Because the city has grown, Porter has maintained a accountable, well-managed course for all monetary divisions inside the city. She oversees the executive, supervisory, and monetary capabilities for the Income, Accounting, and Buying divisions. She additionally prepares and administers the annual price range, debt administration, capital packages and manages accounting and auditing of each the city and college division funds.

“Throughout Ruth’s unimaginable tenure with the City she has overseen the transformation of our group, to a contemporary subtle operation,” mentioned City Supervisor Tom Corridor. “Her affect has been immeasurable. From establishing monetary programs and to hiring high quality employees, her imprint on Scarborough will stay as her legacy. I want her congratulations and good luck in a much-deserved retirement.”

Ruth’s directorial oversight led the City of Scarborough to obtain the Annual Complete Monetary Report (ACFR) from the Authorities Finance Officers Affiliation (GFOA) as a part of their Certificates of Achievement for Excellence in Finance Reporting. The celebrated honor has been awarded every consecutive 12 months since 2005. This nationwide recognition was established in 1945 to encourage state and native governments to transcend the minimal necessities of typically accepted accounting rules to arrange annual complete monetary experiences “that proof the spirit of transparency and full disclosure after which to acknowledge particular person governments that reach reaching that objective” (GFOA). It’s the highest type of recognition within the space of governmental accounting and monetary reporting.

Through the years, Ruth held the roles of Tax Collector and Treasurer. These roles transitioned to different Finance employees because the division and their positions grew. Throughout her tenure in Scarborough, she put collectively the primary computerized monetary administration system. Moreover, she has had a lead position within the up to date computerized accounting programs (Gemini and now Munis) from Tyler Applied sciences. Porter additionally helped create the preliminary monetary and personnel insurance policies and procedures that in lots of cases at the moment are state and federal mandated together with welcome and exit processes. Once more, as Scarborough has grown, each the pc and human useful resource capabilities have grow to be their very own viable and mandatory departments.

In her tenure as Finance Director, Ruth has grow to be not solely a seasoned skilled with experience in Scarborough’s funds, its departments, and its governance, however she additionally has an historic perspective, bar none at this level, from her involvement with many city initiatives, its development, governing boards and employees throughout her 42 years of service. She mentored lots of the City’s division heads through the years, together with three planners, six assessors, three Group Providers administrators, 5 fireplace chiefs, 4 police chiefs, three Public Works administrators and 7 college enterprise managers to help them of their vital capabilities.

“I’ve loved being with the various of us who’ve been a part of my day by day work life through the years,” Porter mentioned. “Coaching and profession improvement has all the time been her primary precedence.”

She has skilled, nurtured and managed her departmental employees and needs solely the perfect for them. Between herself and up to date retirees Gina Clukey (33 years of service) and Teri Hodgdon (19 years of service), Scarborough has gained the great historic data of over 94 years’ expertise inside the Accounting employees alone.

All through her profession, Ruth has been lively within the discipline past the partitions of her workplace. In 1984, she was a founding member of the Maine Authorities Finance Officers Affiliation (MEGFOA) serving on the chief board from 1984 to 1988 and once more from 1994 to 2019. She held different management roles as a part of MEGFOA, too: she was vice -resident from 1999-2000, president from 2000-2001, and secretary/treasurer for almost all of the opposite years. Her achievements with MEGFOA expanded previous her participation on their board. She joined the New England Authorities Finance Officers Affiliation Government Board (NESGFOA) in 2011 till 2021. Moreover, Ruth was a mentor for the GFOA Ladies’s Public Finance Community for a couple of years, mentoring new finance administrators.

In her retirement, Ruth may be very a lot trying ahead to celebrating what she loves about Maine along with her household. “My husband John and I really like Maine, its colours within the fall, its seasonal adjustments, its mountains and seashores, its oceanfront, mountain climbing and having fun with Maine’s pristine air and areas of untouched, pure magnificence,” Porter mentioned.

She plans on spending extra time with him and her three youngsters (Jacot, Jessie and Jillian), and her teenage grandson. She additionally seems to be ahead to extra time with associates for brunch, lunch, swimming, or seeing a play on the Ogunquit Playhouse.

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