MANSFIELD — Linn Steward wants to leave the City of Mansfield better off than she found it.
Steward, sworn in Tuesday morning for her third and final term as the city’s finance director, took office eight years ago when Mansfield was in the mire of a state-ordered fiscal emergency.
When she leaves office four years from now, the Certified Public Accountant hopes the city, which emerged from the emergency in 2014, remains in a good place.
“I don’t want to leave when the city is going downhill. I really wanna get the city financially sustainable. I think it’s possible,” Steward said after taking the oath of office in City Council chambers from Richland County Commissioner Marilyn John.
“I wish all the (city) employees would think more about what the citizens and the visitors need (rather) than what their own department needs and I wish we could all work together better to make that happen,” Steward said.
City Council has approved a temporary budget for 2020, but a final budget must be done by the end of March. Steward, a Republican who was unopposed on the November ballot, said it’s going to be challenging.
“The revenue has come in a little more than last year. But it seems like the increase in revenue has slowed down, as compared to two or three years ago,” she said.
“And costs keep going up. There are probably going to be decisions to made and priorities (established). Three years ago, we could meet all of the priorities in terms of safety and the general fund.
“Now there are some challenges with water and sewer. We (had) to upgrade the sewer treatment plant and it’s looking like we are going to upgrade the water treatment plant.
“There are a lot of challenges coming up. With some frugalness and being logical about what we spend our money on and still trying to meet the needs of the citizens and the visitors of the city, I think we can go through and make it all happen,” Steward said.
Despite her financial experience, Steward said she still encounters new situations on a regular basis.
“Even after eight years, I am surprised,” she said, “something will come up we have never had to deal with. I will have to get a legal opinion or do research, a lot of research. You really have to understand the state law and the city law.”
In her first term, Steward developed several financial policies adopted by City Council.
These policies included the creation of “reserve” funds designed to ensure the city can provide consistent, uninterrupted services in the event of an economic disruption.
In addition, Steward established a financial planning policy aimed at strengthening the long term fiscal health of our city. Following these initial actions, Moody’s Investor Service upgraded the City’s credit rating, three times within three years.
During her second term, Steward received the Auditor of State Award with Distinction from 2016 through 2018 for clean audit reports and excellent record keeping.
Steward, with the support of City Council, partnered with the OpenGov.com to allow the public to view and track government spending. This technology gives users the ability to produce existing reports, or build specific reports of interest, regarding city revenues and expenses.
“When I first sought election, my primary goal was to improve Mansfield’s financial stability and sustainability. This was accomplished by working together as a team to develop and follow sound financial policies and spending plans. Financial stability, state recognition and improved Moody’s Investor ratings acknowledges our commitment to that end,” she said.
“It is an honor to serve the people of this community and I pledge to continue to be the voice of accountability and work with both our public and government officials to find workable solutions to our challenges, while improving efficiencies and reducing government waste.”
