The Finance Department is responsible for maintaining the financial integrity of the City. Primary functions include financial forecasting, overseeing the annual audit and preparation of the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, preparation of the annual budget and on-going monitoring for budget compliance throughout the year, providing general information to the public, business license processing, payroll, accounts payable, accounts receivable, lien searches, general accounting, cash management and investment activity, debt management, financial policies, purchasing, utility billing and municipal court administration.

City Management has been fiscally conservative over the years which has led to maintaining a strong general fund working capital. In 1998, the Finance Department developed a forecasting model using department service levels to help the City balance the growing demand for services with the anticipated growth in assessed value and resulting revenues.

The City currently has no outstanding general obligation debt, which is very unique for a City the size of Hillsboro. Per Oregon Revised Statutes, the City may have debt outstanding representing 3% of their true cash value (assessed value) or $264,564,381 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2002. Non-general obligation debt includes $15,000,000 in revenue bonds to be repaid from the net revenues of the City's Water Utility System and $1,248,865 in Limited Tax Improvement Bonds. The limited tax improvement bonds are back by the full faith and credit of the City with repayment of the debt coming from the payments received by the City on the assessment contracts entered into by the property owners within the local improvement district in the downtown area.