MANSFIELD – The Budget and Accounting Office at the 179th Airlift Wing earned the Financial Analysis Office of the Year Award from the Air National Guard for its excellence in executing and managing the wing’s budget during fiscal year 2016.
Captain Walter Borowicz, the Budget Officer for the 179th AW, Tech. Sgt. James Hempfield, the Accounting Liaison Officer for the 179th AW; Master Sgt. Wheeler, the Budget Analyst prior to accepting a new job in maintenance; and Master Sgt. Nemitz, the Accounting Liaison prior to Hempfield, managed a budget of $34.8 million that lead to the successful execution of the wing’s maintenance, operations, construction, and deployment operations.
“It really comes down to effective communication and accountability on our part,” Borowicz said. “We have to communicate with resource advisers to know the needs of the organization. We can then plan and have budgets ready to execute when Congress passes its budget.”
With a continuing resolution hanging over the heads of all government agencies, the team in the Budget and Accounting office has faced real challenges in being effective and efficient in their duties. Budgeting a wing’s expenses without a budget figure presents significant obstacles.
This puts real constraints on the mission and makes the demand for a highly trained budget office that much more important.
The team was able to get the resources for the new hangar doors and ramp projects. The previous hangar doors were old and on a roller-track system that was becoming more susceptible to derailing and therefore collapsing. The new doors provide better lighting, are more energy efficient and are safer to operate, said Col. Kenneth Kmetz, the 179th Maintenance Group Commander.
One of the other major constraints the finance team faced is the transition in accounting systems. They are approximately two years into a six-year transition and changed the base over to the new system mid-year with minimal discrepancies.
“The process can be very difficult at times since we are essentially compiling data from two systems and presenting it as one final product,” Hempfield said.
The team has also spearheaded a new database to track Facility Operation and Maintenance and Miscellaneous Obligation Reimbursement Documents. This database allows the team to identify any unused funding that was previously obligated for another use.
“Being able to identify monies that have not been used allows us to pull it back before deadlines and reallocate it to other mission essential needs,” Borowicz said.
