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Commending and expressing appreciation to Kathryn Schwenn (Kathy), Water Utility Finance Manager, on retirement from Madison Water Utility (MWU) after 8 years of service.
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WHEREAS, Kathy was hired by City Finance as an Accountant 3 on June 23, 2014; transferred to MWU on January 1, 2017 to take on the role of Finance Supervisor; and was promoted on February 7, 2021 to Water Utility Finance Manager; AND,
WHEREAS, Kathy leveraged her previous experience at City Purchasing for the pivotal role as liaison between MWU and City Finance, and effectively bridged the two City agencies to ensure compliance with purchasing and procurement policies and procedures; AND,
WHEREAS, to help eliminate MWU’s inefficient practice of tracking expenses in two accounting systems, Kathy successfully oversaw the transition away from the duplicate entries in Microsoft Dynamics SL to the sole use of Tyler-MUNIS for all accounting, budgeting, purchasing, and other financial management processes; AND,
WHEREAS, through her patience, unfailing support of staff, and general good graces, Kathy oversaw the necessary, but at times painful, conversion from MWU’s long-standing customer billing system (CIS) to Tyler Utility Billing; AND,
WHEREAS, on behalf of MWU, Kathy prepared 13 annual budgets, obtained 2 Public Service Commission of Wisconsin rate case approvals, and successfully oversaw 7 audits which continually noted improving financial conditions due to her implementation of processes and procedures to control expenses; AND,
WHEREAS, through enforcement of those strict budget controls, Kathy oversaw improvement of MWU’s cash position while simultaneously reducing MWU’s overall debt by more than $75 Million; AND,
WHEREAS, Kathy introduced critical team-building strategies at senior management meetings and in the Finance and Customer Services areas of MWU, not the least of which was her frequent provision of home-baked treats, including the now infamous 100-mile water main re...
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