Montgomery County created a Budget Office and appointed its director in a unanimous vote in Commissioners Court Tuesday, making a “great move” for the county, according to County Judge Craig Doyal.
Montgomery County Commissioners Mike Meador, James Noack and Charlie Riley and Montgomery County Judge Craig Doyal voted unanimously to appoint Montgomery resident Amanda Carter as the new Budget Officer Tuesday morning during Commissioners’ Court. Commissioner Jim Clark was not present during court.
There were six members on the hiring committee, which consisted of Commissioner Noack, Judge Doyal, Chief of Staff Jim Fredricks, Pct. 3 Project Manager Evan Besong, Assistant County Attorney Amy Dunham and Human Resources Director Dodi Shaw.
According to Shaw, 26 applications were received and six finalists were selected to be reviewed before the committee. Out of those six, one candidate withdrew because of personal reasons and five candidates were interviewed. Finally, two candidates were selected for a second interview before the hiring committee recommended the two finalists to Commissioners Court for interviews.
“This is a great move for Montgomery County, to put a budget officer in place. I think it’s something we have needed for quite some time,” Doyal said. “Amanda Carter showed some very impressive skills with her knowledge of governmental budgets and what she’s done in her previous positions.”
After the court voted unanimously, Noack said he agreed with Doyal that Montgomery County needs a budget office and a budget office that is separate and distinct from any elected official’s office.
“When we were interviewing these candidates, Amanda Carter stood out to me because of her ability to stand up and say no to elected officials and department heads, and to be able to stand up and fight for those same elected officials and department heads when need be,” Noack said. “I think she is going to bring a level of professionalism to the auditing process that will enhance the (current auditor’s office).”
The new budget officer position will report to the Commissioners Court on a regular basis.
“I think this is a great move, I look forward to it,” Doyal said. Speaking to Ms. Carter, who was in the audience, “Get in there, find out what each and every department does every day and let us know, as a court, exactly what some of those real needs are.”
Doyal then congratulated Carter on her new appointment. Carter, who recently moved to Montgomery, said “I look forward to meeting with and working for my fellow Montgomery County residents.”
Carter began her government career in October 2010 as a Budget Analyst for the Upper Trinity Regional Water District. In March 2014, she accepted the position of Budget Analyst with the City of Garland in the Police Department. In January 2017, Amanda advanced her career by becoming a Budget Officer for the City of Rowlett, where she worked directly with elected officials, the senior executive team, and Rowlett citizens in managing a total budget of one hundred twenty-five million dollars. Amanda graduated with a bachelor’s degree in political science from Sam Houston State University and received a master’s degree in public administration from the University of North Texas, where she graduated with honors. Amanda is a Certified Government Finance Officer through the Government Finance Officers Association of Texas and has been a member of GFOAT since 2011. In her spare time, she enjoys golfing, scuba diving, and staying as active as possible.
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