Michael Bell, Ph.D.
Michael Bell, Ph.D. serves as the Director of Finance for DeKalb County. Directs the financial affairs of the county, Michael provides advice to the CEO and Board of Commissioners on fiscal affairs; financial and legislative information to elected officials, citizens, bondholders, customers, employees and other stakeholders; and timely and accurate invoicing for Water & Sewer, Commercial Sanitation, Business Registration and Alcoholic Beverage License, and other customers, while maximizing the collection of revenues. He is also an ex officio member of the DeKalb County Pension Board.
Prior to joining DeKalb County, Michael was the Chief Financial Officer for the City of Atlanta and the financial administrator of the Aviation Department at Hartsfield International Airport during the airport’s Midfield Project expansion. As CFO of Atlanta, he was a trustee on all three of the city’s pension boards. He also worked as a banker, where he was one of the senior underwriters on the first $1 billion of bonds issued for the Denver International Airport. Michael attained his master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Georgia in the areas of Public Administration with emphasis on public finance.
Department Summary – Finance Department
The Finance Department directs the financial affairs of DeKalb County by providing advice to the CEO and Board of Commissioners on fiscal affairs; financial and legislative information to elected officials, citizens, bondholders, customers, employees and other stakeholders; and timely and accurate invoicing for Water & Sewer, Commercial Sanitation, Business Registration and Alcoholic Beverage License, and other customers, while maximizing the collection of revenues.
The Finance Department pays all vendors on the due dates while maximizing offered discounts; maximizes the return on the county’s investments while adhering the county’s investment policies. It also prepares, analyzes, and administers the various county budgets within legal restrictions and internal policies and procedures, including submission of proposed budgets to the governing authority and facilitating public review, and provides an independent appraisal of county operations to ensure compliance with laws, policies, and procedures. The Finance Department minimizes the adverse effects of risk exposure to the county and its employees, and administers the county’s surety, liability, employee insurance, and benefits programs. The Finance Department also provides active and retired employees the pay and benefits to which they are entitled, in an efficient manner. |
