Geary County Finance Director Tami Robison has received the Government Finance Officers Association Outstanding Public Service Award. It was presented at the Government Finance Officer Association conference in Washington DC last week. Robison was the only person from Kansas to receive the honor.
Commissioner Trish Giordano nominated Robison, who joined Geary County in April 2021 as its first Finance Director, a newly established position. Tasked with building her role and department from the ground up, she immediately addressed significant inefficiencies and a lack of checks and balances within the county’s $40 million budget. In just three years, Robison has transformed the county’s financial landscape. She has worked closely with department heads to develop detailed line-item budgets, identifying inefficiencies and cost-saving opportunities.
Giordano noted that under Robison's leadership, the County Commission consolidated numerous levied funds into two, increasing flexibility in meeting county needs. She also introduced a simplified, transparent budget format that allows the public to clearly see how tax dollars are allocated.
Thanks to the improvements, Geary County has been able to conduct and implement a wage study with full compression, ensuring fair employee compensation and aiding in staff recruitment and retention, secure a $30 million bond to address long-overdue maintenance for the county hospital, preventing its potential closure, with no additional impact on the taxpayer, transition of Sheriff’s Deputies to a significantly improved retirement system, establishment and fund a comprehensive Capital Improvement Plan
Giordano said that under Robison’s guidance, Geary County has successfully lowered its mill levy by 15 mills over the past three years, resulting in significant tax savings. Most notably, her sound financial management recently led to an improved S&P Global Rating, increasing the county’s General Obligation rating from A to A+.
Robison’s leadership, innovation, and dedication have positioned Geary County for long-term financial stability.