HILL AIR FORCE BASE — Working behind the scenes to ensure employees get paid, projects get funded, and the mission is accomplished is the 75th Comptroller Squadron, whose mission is to deliver cutting edge financial solutions and mission-ready Airmen.

Recently, the 75th CPTS successfully closed out another fiscal year, ensuring funding in excess of $17.5 billion was executed to support Team Hill’s Ogden Air Logistics Complex, two fighter wings, and more than 50 mission partners.

Lt. Col. Earl Alexander, 75th CPTS commander, said the FY-20 closeout was a success due to the efforts of many who assisted the CPTS team, including resource advisors, Government Purchase Card holders, civil engineering, and contracting.

“Their efforts directly contributed to the ABW end of fiscal year success and truly emulated the 75th ABW mission of providing ‘exceptional support to Team Hill,’” he said. “FY-20 ended great and we are aiming to make fiscal year 2021 even better.”

Several sections within the squadron worked diligently to ensure a successful closeout.

Melody Chase, CPTS budget officer, ensures the 75th Air Base Wing meets its mission requirements, not just locally, but throughout the country and around the world. Her team manages more than $200 million to support operations. Although fiscal constraints and COVID-19 created numerous obstacles, the budget team successfully funded all programs, including a personal protective equipment purchase in response to the ongoing pandemic and year-end funding in excess of $4.4 million to support previously unfunded programs.

The Accounting Liaison Office, led by Tresithney Peraza, manages an overall portfolio of about $17.3 billion and serves as liaison between base-level finance offices and the Defense Finance Accounting Service. Currently, the team is deploying the Defense Enterprise Accounting Management System and Funds Receipt Certification. DEAMS replaces the legacy accounting system with the purpose to satisfy congressional and DoD requirements for auditing funds, with FRC supporting these efforts as a document repository.

“Each system improves the Department’s financial management operations, while improving stewardship of these resources entrusted to us by the taxpayers,” Peraza said. “The ALO directly supports these efforts in ensuring funding is obligated timely and correctly, which was no easy task as they managed in excess of 36,000 transactions in fiscal year 2020.”

To support audit readiness, the squadron’s Quality Assurance office, led by Kevin French and Julie Rasmussen, ensures the base’s financial statements are auditable and accurate. Through mandated local reviews, self-inspections, and external audits, QA makes sure internal controls are effective in mitigating waste, fraud, and abuse while ensuring funding is fully executed.

As the non-appropriated funds financial analyst, Nerissa Freeman performs financial analyses and oversight of 12 NAF programs at Hill, including the bowling center and clubs, child development centers, outdoor recreation, and the fitness centers. Her reviews ensure funds are being collected and executed properly and these services remain available to support our quality-of-life programs that support all of HAFB.

The end-of-year closeout isn’t the only thing keeping the 75 CPTS team busy. Employees are continually working on ways to better assist their customers.

One such way is the Comptroller Services Portal, a new tool recently deployed to help individuals receive better financial support. CSP, which can be found on the Air Force portal and the 75 CPTS home page, is an automated incident management application that allows customers to request and receive online pay assistance at any time. The tool assists the customer in seeking help with travel pay, military pay and civilian pay, and assists in unit accounting and unit resource management. Leveraging CSP, 1st Lt. Shane Scantling’s finance team ensures that Hill’s 27,000-plus civilians are paid timely and accurately.

The 75 CPTS is also part of the community, supporting COVID-19 testing, and getting involved in community programs such as Utah Foster Care and the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance office.

“I am so proud and humbled to be part of a talented group of learned professionals,” said Bill Howell, DPTS deputy comptroller and chief financial advisor. “Each serve as mentors, advisors, and ground breakers in their application of their individual talents and skill sets. FY-20 was a challenge, but their attitude and steadfast devotion to the mission became an opportunity to excel.”