DURHAM, N.C. – The City of Durham has been recognized for the 24th consecutive year for its budget reporting by the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA), a professional association of over 17,400 members throughout North America that has served the public finance profession since 1906.
GFOA presented the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award to the City’s Budget & Management Services Department for its 2012-2013 fiscal year annual budget. The GFOA’s Distinguished Budget Presentation Awards Program is the only national awards program and the highest form of recognition in governmental budgeting. More than 1,289 entries were submitted for this year’s award.
“To have received this award for 24 consecutive years is a tribute to the quality of our employees and I am proud of everyone who assisted in the preparation of our annual budget,” said City Manager Tom Bonfield. “This recognition demonstrates that we have a team dedicated to the integrity and efficiency of the City’s budget and this award recognizes the excellent work they do to communicate to our residents the City’s Strategic Plan priorities and how their tax dollars are spent.”
To receive the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award, the City had to publish a budget document that met GFOA’s program categories as a policy document, operations guide, financial plan, and communication device. The City also had to meet 14 mandatory criteria within the four program categories. According to the GFOA, the City also had to satisfy nationally recognized guidelines for effective budget presentation that reflects the commitment of the organization to meeting the highest principles of governmental budgeting.
According to Bertha Johnson, director of the City’s Budget & Management Services Department, this award recognizes the organization’s long-time professional management as well as commitment to transparency and accountability. “The City has a demonstrated commitment to excellence in budgeting, which has been recognized year-after-year,” Johnson said. “I am proud of my team and my colleagues because this award is evidence that we are successfully achieving our Strategic Plan goal of being a well-managed city.”
A complete copy of the City’s budget is available at http://durhamnc.gov/ich/as/bms/Pages/FY2012-2013_Budget.aspx. To learn more about the City’s 2012-2013 budget, contact Johnson at (919) 560-4111, ext. 20285 or by email at Bertha.Johnson@DurhamNC.gov. To learn more about the GFOA, visit http://www.GFOA.org.
About the Budget & Management Services Department
The Budget & Management Services Department is responsible for preparing, implementing, and monitoring the City’s annual operating budget as well as the five-year revenue/expenditure projections for all City government services. The department also provides operational and organizational studies as identified by the City Council, City Manager's Office, and department staff. Guided by the City’s Strategic Plan, which the department established and maintains, Budget & Management Services helps to ensure that the City of Durham is a well-managed city by working with City agencies to build and implement performance measurement monitoring and evaluation. The department is also responsible for preparing the Capital Improvement Plan (CIP), coordinating the City's process for petition and City-initiated annexations, conducting resident satisfaction surveys, and evaluating departmental achievement of City goals and objectives. To learn more, visit http://durhamnc.gov/ich/as/bms/Pages/Home.aspx.