City’s ‘ace,’ Steven Boone, celebrates 20 years with Mountain Brook

When it comes to just about every decision the city of Mountain Brook makes, one can almost bet City Finance Director and City Clerk Steven Boone is involved somewhere along the way.

Boone, who recently celebrated 20 years with the city, is known as the problem-solver among department heads. 

Fire Chief Steve Mullins said Boone wears many more than just the already robust finance director and city clerk hats. 

“He helps me with everything from personnel issues to injuries and, of course, the budget,” Mullins said. “At some point in time almost every day, I reach out to him for something.”

 “He wears so many different hats,” said Police Chief Ted Cook. “Steve is really invaluable to the whole city. His wealth of knowledge is unprecedented.”

Before devoting 20 years to Mountain Brook, Boone worked in Jefferson County, where he served as chief accountant. Previous to his work in Jefferson County, Boone was a partner with a Birmingham-area public accounting firm. He officially began working for the city of Mountain Brook in 1996 when, the city was looking to strengthen and improve its finances, Boone said.

Though the city already had an accounting department, Boone said it did not yet have a finance director.

Boone was the first and continues to be the only-ever finance director to serve the city. 

Boone said accounting and business administration were not exactly the topics he first thought he wanted to study.

“I was a computer science major at first and was minoring in accounting,” he said.

Pretty quickly, Boone said he realized he was more interested in the accounting side of his studies than his computer science major. 

“That’s when I changed my major,” he said. 

Boone went on to earn a Bachelor of Science in accounting and management from the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 1983. In 1992, Boone earned a Master of Business Administration, also from UAB. 

Raised in the Birmingham area, Boone is a past president of the Government Finance Officers Association of Alabama (GFOAA) 2004-2005, a member of the Alabama City County Management Association (ACCMA), American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Alabama Society of Certified Public Accountants.

Boone said the hardest part of his job is the need to be current on a lot of different things all at the same time. 

“Whether it’s a legal claim, an insurance claim, putting together bid documents or legal findings, helping to draft no-smoking ordinances or creating cellphone- free zones — you name it — I’m pulled into it,” he said. 

That broad range of ability doesn’t go unnoticed, Mullins said.

“He’s our ace,” he said. 

Boone said he does feel the love and appreciation. In fact, he said it’s his favorite aspect of the job.

“I believe I help make a difference,” he said, “that my work is appreciated.”

City Council members and City Manager Sam Gaston conspired to surprise Boone and recognize his 20 years with the city during a recent city council meeting. Unlike most things Mountain Brook, it was one of the few times Boone was left out of the loop. 

Over the years, Boone said he believes his work has helped make significant improvements to the financial operations of the city.

“I feel like a valued member of the city’s management team,” he said.