Agency Staff
Controlling Board requests are prepared by state agencies. Staff of state
departments are responsible for responding to any requests for information made
by OBM as well as explaining their requests at Board meetings and responding to
Board members' questions. Agencies that bring large numbers of requests to the
Board typically have individuals exclusively assigned to work on Board business.
Controlling Board activity required by agencies less frequent requests are
generally handled by the agency's fiscal office.
Analysts of the Office of Budget and Management (OBM)
With regard to Controlling Board requests, OBM budget analysts provide fiscal
and policy analysis assistance to the President. In setting the agenda, the
President relies on the knowledge and insights of the analysts to determine
whether a request is appropriate from an executive branch perspective, meets the
intent of the legislature, and whether revisions or refinements are required.
Analysts review all Controlling Board requests for substantive issues and work
with agencies to ensure that the intent and impact of the requests are understood.
The OBM debt coordinator analyst reviews and approves requests involving
capital appropriations. Analysts may consult the legal, accounting, and financial
experts within OBM in order to facilitate the review of requests. Agencies
typically maintain good communications with their budget analysts regarding all
fiscal issues. Agency staff preparing requests should contact their budget
analysts with questions or issues they might have, especially with regards to
policy considerations and fiscal or financial implications.
Legislative Service Commission (LSC) and Legislative Staff
Six of the seven Board members are legislators. They require assistance in
analyzing and understanding items on the agenda. The staff of the Legislative
Budget Office review agency requests to ensure that the agency is meeting the
legislative intent of the General Assembly in regard to program goals and
appropriation levels as included in the appropriation acts of the General
Assembly. This review also includes ensuring that the agency is in compliance
with Controlling Board regulations and procedures. Generally, House and Senate
aides to the Controlling Board members review the requests concurrently with
LSC. The LSC staff typically provides written comments, referred to as 'green
sheets', on certain requests. The comments can summarize complex or
precedent-setting items, analyze substantive concerns about the request, or
provide additional information to the Board members. Legislative Service Commission
liaisons to each of the four caucuses provide additional assistance to the
members.
Office of Budget and Management: State Accounting Section
Prior to Controlling Board approval, all vendor information relating to a
forthcoming Controlling Board request should be entered into and accepted by
the Central Accounting System. For assistance in providing a vendor's federal
tax identification information, contact the Vendor Compliance section of OBM.
Upon Controlling Board approval, State Accounting personnel review financial
information and enter it into the accounting system. Questions on encumbering
funds for requests involving waivers of competitive selection should be directed
to the Encumbrance Review section of OBM. Technical questions regarding
requests involving appropriations (such as releases, transfers, and fund creations)
should be directed to the Appropriations and Revenue Reconciliation section of
OBM.
Divisions of the Department of Administrative Services
Insofar as various divisions of DAS play a part in the purchasing process and in
capital improvements, their involvement is required in a variety of situations.
The Division of Computer Services is involved in procurement decisions
regarding computer equipment and software and those purchases made through a
request for proposal process. The Division of State Purchasing is involved in
most major purchasing processes and must grant a release and permit to an
agency before an agency may request a waiver of competitive selection from the
Board. The Bureau of Real Estate is involved in state agency land purchases and
facility leases that require competitive selection waivers. The State Architect's
Office is involved in architect selection processes and overseeing many capital
construction projects for state agencies and institutions of higher education.
Director of Budget and Management
The Director is the statutory President of the Board, although in accordance with
the statute, he or she traditionally designates this duty to a deputy director of
OBM. However, the Board, as well as certain uncodified law provisions,
delegate to the director certain duties that otherwise fall to the board. For
instance, under Section 127.14 of the Revised Code, the Controlling Board has
authorized the OBM Director to approve certain requests for small transfers of
appropriations between line items within the same fund within a fiscal year. The
OBM director may also approve the release of capital funds for certain projects
designated by the director as specific projects.