Government Finance Officers Association of the United State and Canada bestows honor on the city
For the ninth consecutive year, the City of Sarasota 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.
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 release adds.
“This award represents the city’s commitment to transparency with the annual budget process,” said City Manager Marlon Brown in the release. “The Financial Administration Department distilled the Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, which is over 270 pages, into a 12-page professional report presented in layman’s terms,” he added in the release. “It’s an excellent resource for citizens. We appreciate the Finance team’s outstanding achievement and recognition.”
The award was bestowed on the city for its report for the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2021, the release notes. GFOA judges reviewed and evaluated that report on the basis of specific criteria, including reader appeal, understandability, dissemination methods, and creativity, the release points out. The award-winning report may be viewed here.
With this award, GFOA has named the City of Sarasota a “Triple Crown” winner for 2021, as the city has “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 report covering the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2022 is available online via the City of Sarasota website, www.SarasotaFL.gov. That report also will be submitted this year to GFOA for consideration for a certificate of achievement, the release notes.