The Comptroller of the Treasury and CTAS have developed the Certified County Finance Officer (CCFO) program that will provide Tennessee’s county financial officers an opportunity to learn about accounting and financial reporting principles, understand how county governments are structured in Tennessee, and enhance their skills in order to carry out their responsibilities for the fiscal affairs of their county or department. CTAS administers the educational program and testing required to achieve the CCFO designation. The Comptroller’s Office has been designated as the certification authority.
Tennessee counties depend on skilled finance staff to manage complex, multi-fund governmental accounting, and the annual audit is one of the best scorecards of financial management.
14%
Decrease in total audit findings
FY 2019 vs FY 2024
34%
Decrease in severe findings (material weaknesses & significant deficiencies)
592
CCFO graduates produced across four cohorts, FY 2020 to FY 2024
61%–59%
More findings in non-centralized vs. centralized small counties
This study examines whether the CCFO program has measurably improved county audit results by comparing the five years before the program's first graduates (FY 2015 to FY 2019) to the five years after (FY 2020 to FY 2024).
CTAS reviewed audited financial statements and audit findings for all 95 Tennessee counties over a ten-year period, and separately examined the role of full, partial, and non-centralized accounting structures as a possible causation factor alongside county population and department type.
