Finance Department
Financial Reporting and Operations
Arif Rasheed, Deputy Director
832.393.9013
Arif has over 35 years of accounting, external/internal audit, and grants management experience, 18 of which are in governmental accounting. Prior to joining the city, Arif was Assistant Director of Accounting and Financial Reporting in Wayne County, Michigan. He was also an adjunct professor at Davenport University, Michigan, where he taught various accounting and audit courses for undergraduate students.
The division's primary responsibility is city-wide monitoring and oversight of accounting, fixed assets, grant regulations and compliance, internal controls, and Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) processes. The division is also responsible for ensuring process documentation exists and assessing the need for and updating policies and procedures. The division is responsible for coordinating annual external audits, including the Single Audit Report (SAR), preparing an indirect cost allocation plan, and performing cost of service fees study.
Division Goals
- Work in partnership with the Controller's Office to coordinate the City's Annual Financial Audits.
- Develop annual indirect cost allocation plans for recovering all allowable federal grant administrative costs for the General Fund.
- Establish Accounting Procedures and Standards for Trust and Local Government Corporations (LGCs) to ensure compliance with A.P. 2-10.
- Determine full fee cost of services citywide in an effort to maximize cost recovery.
Kiran Chandu, Assistant Director
832.393.9067
Kiran has over 20 years of experience in accounting, budgeting, cost/fee analysis, and cost allocation. She has oversight over the accounts payable, accounts receivable, cost allocation plans, and city-wide fee schedule.
| Accounts Payable |
| Accounts Receivable |
| Property Assessments and Liens |
| Cost Allocation |
Robert Martinez, Deputy Assistant Director
832.393.9069
Robert is a Certified Public Accountant with over 20 years of accounting, financial reporting and process improvement experience. Additionally, he has 10 years of Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery experience. He has led several SAP accounting implementations and upgrades. He has oversight over Disaster Cost Recovery and Grants Management.
| Disaster Cost Recovery |
| Grants Management |
Fazal Syed, Deputy Assistant Director
832.393.9037
Syed has over 20 years of experience with accounting, internal control and audit, grants management, and large-scale disaster projects like Hurricane Ike and Harvey and the COVID-19 pandemic. He has organized and frequently speaks at conferences in Texas, which bring together executives, engineers, policy specialists, and financial professionals to discuss disaster recovery, mitigation, and resiliency. He has taught accounting, audit, and IT courses as an adjunct professor at colleges in Houston and outside Texas. He is a Certified Grants Management Specialist, Certified Government Audit Professional, and Certified Internal Control Auditor. He holds a Master's of Accounting and a Bachelor's of Accounting, Political Science, and Management Information Systems.
| Trust and Funds Management |
| Fixed Assets |
| General Accounting |
| Internal Controls |