Augusta County honored by Government Finance Officers Association

Augusta County has received the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award from the Government Finance Officers Association.

The award recognizes that the county has satisfied nationally recognized guidelines for effective annual budget presentation for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2020.

“This award is the highest form of recognition in governmental budgeting,” noted Michele Mark Levine from GFOA’s Technical Services Center. “Its attainment represents a significant achievement by your organization. … It reflects the commitment of the governing body and staff to meeting the highest principles of governmental budgeting.”

In order to receive the budget award, the Augusta County finance department had to satisfy stringent guidelines that are designed to assess how well the budget serves as:

• a policy document
• a financial plan
• an operations guide
• a communications device

Budget documents must be rated “proficient” in all four categories, and in the 14 mandatory criteria within those categories, to receive the award.

“This award is meaningful to the finance department,” Augusta County Finance Director Misty said. “We work hard, not only to develop a budget that gives stability and strength to the County, but also to present financial information in a way that all our citizens can understand and in a way that promotes transparency between local government and its citizens. This award confirms that our efforts continue to hit the mark.”

This is the fourth consecutive year that the county finance department has received the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award.

There are over 1,600 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 pioneer efforts to improve the quality of budgeting and provide examples for other governments throughout North America.

The Government Finance Officers Association advances excellence in government finance by providing best practices, professional development, resources and practical research for more than 20,500 members and the communities they serve.