The City of Covington is looking for a finance director to replace Steve Webb, who is leaving to take the same position at the City of Cincinnati. The job posting on Covington’s website can be seen at Finance Director.
Webb’s last day is March 12, and the City is looking to fill the position as quickly as possible, given it is in the middle of its budget process for the coming fiscal year, City Manager Ken Smith said.
Covington’s finance director oversees an array of functions, including budget, accounting, investments, accounts payable, revenue, accounts receivable, procurement, and payroll. The position also serves ex officio on numerous boards, including the Board of Trustees for the City Employees Retirement Fund, the Occupational License Board of Appeals, the Police and Fire Pension Board, the Rental License Appeal Board, and The Fund for Covington, Inc.
Smith said Webb – who came to Covington in August 2022 – leaves a big legacy.
“I have truly enjoyed working with him because he not only understands the numbers but also understands the big picture,” Smith said. “Steve improved our Finance operations greatly by implementing changes that will be here after he leaves. I’m happy for him and wish him all the continued success possible. Of course, he’s only moving north 15 blocks and a river.”
Before Covington, Webb was finance director at the Northern Kentucky Area Development District and held several positions for the City of Indianapolis and the State of Indiana.
Webb said he was proud of his and his team’s work in The Cov, which included centralizing the budget development process, increasing interest income on City funds, implementing lockbox programs to increase efficiency of revenue collection, reducing the net profit tax return processing timeline, improving financial reports for the Board of Commissioners and senior staff, constructing a financing plan for infrastructure needs, and creating the City’s first-ever Popular Annual Financial Report (PAFR) for constituents.
He also helped the City construct a plan to fill a revenue hole created by the work-from-home trends, finance the ongoing development of the 23-acre former IRS site, and lay the financial groundwork for a new City Hall.
“In leadership, the goal is always to leave things better than you found them, and we’ve done that,” Webb said.
Awards and honors
During his time in Covington, Webb earned statewide recognition, being named the Kentucky Government Finance Officers Association “Finance Officer of the Year” for 2023 and being elected as president of the Kentucky GFOA for the 2024-2025 two-year cycle. He also received the National GFOA Recognition for Outstanding Public Service in June 2024 in Orlando, Fla.
In April, the City’s first PAFR (the Popular Annual Financial Report) that he created earned the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) Award for Outstanding Achievement in Popular Annual Financial Reporting.
Webb credited the work of the entire Finance Department for those achievements.
“Our work is behind the scenes, and I doubt the details of it would be of much interest to the average stakeholder, but nothing happens without a strong team, great partners, and support of leadership,” Webb said. “I’m incredibly proud of the team of talented finance professionals we’ve built. They are the ones working hard every day to make a better experience for the taxpayers. I’m also very proud of the partners we’ve brought onboard to buoy these efforts where we’ve needed additional capacity and/or expertise.”
City of Covington
