James A. Bell was hired by the City of Vandalia, Ohio as Director of Finance in April 2006. He is responsible for a $37 million city budget and investments of over $27 million. He supervises a staff of 16 that includes a Tax Division responsible for income tax collections for four cities. Before he was hired in Vandalia, Jim served as Finance Director for the City of Rittman, Ohio for over eleven years.
Jim is a Certified Public Finance Administrator and a Certified Public Funds Investment Manager. He has received the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting from the Government Finance Officers Association for the cities of Vandalia and Rittman CAFRs for fourteen years in a row. He is Past President of the Ohio Association of Public Treasurers and the North Central Ohio Municipal Finance Officers Association. In 2009, Jim received the John D. Cannone Award, the highest honor bestowed on a member of the Ohio APT. The award recognizes outstanding accomplishments in the field of Public Treasury Management.
Jim served as President of the Association of Public Treasurers of the U.S. & Canada for 2008 and 2009. He was elected to the APT US&C Board of Directors in 2002 and served on the Executive Board since 2004. Jim has previously served as Chair of the
Jim received his Bachelor of Science in Finance degree from the University of Akron in 1987. He and his wife Valerie have two sons and three grandchildren.
