The City of New Albany recently received the Government Finance Officers Association’s Distinguished Budget Presentation Award. The award reflects the commitment of the city council, city management and staff to meeting the highest principles of governmental budgeting. A Certificate of Recognition for Budget Presentation was presented to the individual primarily responsible for having achieved the award, Bethany Staats, CPA, director of finance.

In order to receive the recognition, the City had to meet nationally recognized guidelines for effective budget presentations. Those guidelines included a policy document, financial plan, an operations guide and a communications device. Budget documents must be rated “proficient” in all four categories, and in the fourteen mandatory criteria within those categories, to receive the award. There are over 1,700 participants in the Budget Awards Program. The most recent Budget Award recipients, along with their corresponding budget documents, are posted quarterly on GFOA’s website. Award recipients have pioneered efforts to improve the quality of budgeting and provide an excellent example for other governments throughout North America.