Madison Parks Department

Internship Location: Remote

Organization Type: State Government

Policy Areas:  Finance and Budgeting

I started my internship with the Parks Department as a Financial Management Intern in May and worked throughout the summer. During my time with the Parks Department, I worked with the Parks finance team to create the department’s 2022 Capital and Operating Budgets. I helped prepare this budget by meeting with supervisors to understand what they were requesting from the budget. I also worked on salary projections, quarterly budget reports, and “cost to continue” reports to help inform our request. I learned how the city conducts the Capital and Operating budget process throughout my time at the Parks Department. I was also able to prepare presentation materials for meetings with the Parks Superintendent, Mayor, and the Board of Commissioners. While my internship took place in the second year of COVID, it was interesting to see how the city responded to the pandemic and the various challenges the departments were facing. It was also interesting to see how the Parks Department projected its future revenue in such uncertain times. Through my internship, I significantly improved my skillset within Excel and learned how to use Munis, the city’s financial management software. The Financial Management Internship with the Parks Department is a great fit for La Follette students looking to gain experience with budget and finance work while improving their quantitative skills.