This department monitors program and agency expenditures, processing necessary adjusting entries, and monitors program and agency revenues, including contributions and interest accrurals to the Morris L. Radoff Fund and the Archives Endowment Fund. In addition, it forecasts revenues and expenditures; processes necessary budget amendments; performs the year-end closeout process; and prepares the agency budget request.
Fiscal Administration organized as a unit in January 2000, when the State Archives was in the midst of a legislative audit. With the support of executive management, policies and procedures were initiated to address audit concerns with respect to processing of refunds and payables, and internal control over cash collections. In addition, the Fixed Asset Subsystem (FAS) was implemented, making it easier to track and account for the fixed assets of the State Archives within the Comptroller's financial management system, known as R-Stars. The highlight of FY2001, however, was a well planned closeout of the fiscal year. During this year-end process, the agency was able to add $175,000 to the Archives Endowment Fund. This was the largest contribution from operations that had been made in recent years, and much of the credit goes to the plats.net project, which generated revenue contributing to a year-end surplus.
LAND OFFICE
The Land Office provides citizens and public officials with a simple, convenient, cost-effective, and prompt process for determining the existence of vacant land, i.e. land for which a patent never has been issued, for confirming the extent of land owned in fee-simple, or for
reserving vacant land for public use. The land patent process is governed by Real Property Article, Title 13, Annotated Code of Maryland and COMAR 14.18.01.