Bowling Green earns Distinguished Budget Award
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – For the 10th consecutive year the City of Bowling Green, has received Government Finance Officers Association Distinguished Budget Presentation Award for its budget.
The award represents a significant achievement by the entity.
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 entity had to satisfy nationally recognized guidelines for effective budget presentation. These guidelines are designed to assess how well an entity’s budget serves as: a policy document, a financial plan, an operations guide, and 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. When a Distinguished Budget Presentation Award is granted to an entity, a Certificate of Recognition for Budget Presentation is also presented to the individual(s) or department designated as being primarily responsible for having achieved the award.
“The budget process takes about six months and the document is the culmination of all of the hard work of the city’s finance department. Part of that process includes the strategic goals that the board of commissioners set for the city. We always present a balanced general fund budget meaning the city doesn’t spend more money than what we make. We live within our means. The budget document itself is presented to make the process transparent to the citizens we serve,” said Debi Highland West, the public information officer for the city.
This award was accepted by Erin Ballou, Assistant CFO, on the city’s behalf. 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. Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) advances excellence in government finance by providing best practices, professional development, resources and practical research for more than 21,000 members and the communities they serve.
