Recognition comes from Government Finance Officers Association of the United State and Canada
The City of Sarasota once again has been honored with the Award for Outstanding Achievement in Popular Annual Financial Reporting, “a significant professional recognition a municipality can receive for producing a budget summary document aimed at transparency and readability for the public,” the city has announced.
“This is the 10th consecutive year the City has earned this recognition,” a news release points out.
“The award is presented annually by the Government Finance Officers Association of the United State and Canada (GFOA),” a news release explains. “It recognizes cities and counties that make annual financial reports accessible and easily understandable for those who do not have a background in government finance.”
The 15-page Popular Annual Financial Report for the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2022 is an “easy-to-read distillation of the Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, a 280-page document,” the release points out. “Presented in layman’s terms, it is an excellent resource for citizens,” the release notes.
GFOA judges reviewed and evaluated the report on the basis of criteria that included reader appeal, ease of comprehension, dissemination methods, and creativity, the release explains. The report may be viewed here.
“With this award,” the release points out, “GFOA has named the City of Sarasota a ‘Triple Crown’ winner for 2022,” as the city “received three prestigious GFOA awards for one fiscal year: Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting, Distinguished Budget Presentation Award and the Popular Annual Financial Reporting Award, the release adds.
The current Popular Report, covering the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2023, is available online via the City of Sarasota website www.SarasotaFL.gov. “That report will be submitted this year to GFOA for consideration for a certificate of achievement,” the release notes.