Warren County has received the GFOA’s Distinguished Budget Presentation Award

The Government Finance Officers’ Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA) is pleased to announce that Warren County, Virginia has received the GFOA’s Distinguished Budget Presentation Award for its FY 2017-2018 budget.

The award represents a significant achievement by the County. 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 County had to satisfy nationally recognized guidelines for effective budget presentation.

These guidelines are designed to assess how well the County’s 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 the fourteen 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 or department designated as being primarily responsible for its having achieved the award. This has been presented to the Warren County Finance Department.

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 have pioneered efforts to improve the quality of budgeting and provide an excellent example for other governments throughout North America.

The Government Finance Officers’ Association is a nonprofit professional association serving nearly 19,000 appointed and elected local, state and provincial-level government finance professionals and other finance practitioners. It provides top quality publications, training programs, services, and products designed to enhance the skills and performances of those responsible for government finance policy and management. The GFOA’s Distinguished Budget Presentation Awards Program is the only national awards program in governmental budgeting.

Board Chairmain Tony Carter congratulated the work of the Finance Director and the rest of Finance Department for, “their hard work and efforts to prepare the budget document. It’s through the diligence of these employees that Warren County has again been honored to receive this award.” He added that the document provides transparency for the County’s citizens to see where their tax dollars are being spent.

According to County Administrator Doug Stanley, “This is the eighth consecutive year that Warren County has been recognized by GFOA for our budget. It is a tremendous honor and is the direct result of the continued efforts put forth by Finance Director Andre Fletcher, Finance Consultant Carolyn Stimmel, and Finance Administrative Assistant Connie Oden. Andre has worked hard to maintain the standard of excellence that Carolyn started and continues to prioritize the preparation of this year’s budget document and made the receipt of the award an objective. Warren County is one of only 28 of the 95 counties in the State to be recognized with both the Audit and Budget awards. I am pleased to see the Department’s continued efforts rewarded with this recognition from the GFOA.”

Finance Director Andre Fletcher added, “It is an honor to be recognized by the Government Finance Officers’ Association with the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award for the 2017 – 2018 fiscal year. I want to thank Carolyn Stimmel, Former Finance Director and current consultant, and Connie Oden, our Administrative Assistant, for their attention to detail as they organized, analyzed and compiled all departmental and outside agency budget requests and for the timely submission of the budget document for the GFOA’s award program. The Finance department has received this award for the last eight years, setting and maintaining this high standard of recognition for Warren County’s budget. I am proud to work with the entire Finance department, the County’s hard working employees, leaders, and local agencies as we complete the FY 2018 – 2019 budget. I also appreciate Mr. Stanley’s leadership and support as we continue to follow industry best practices set by the GFOA’s distinguished budget program. Through this process, we provide the citizens of Warren County, the Board of Supervisors and other stakeholders with in-depth information about the annual budget of the various County departments and other projects within the County.”

The award was presented by Virginia Resources Authority Director of Administration and Finance Curtis Doughtie as a member of the GFOA and President-Elect of the Virginia Government Finance Officers’ Association. After the presentation, County Board Chairman Tony Carter thanked Finance Director Andre Fletcher, Finance Consultant Carolyn Stimmel, and, especially, Finance Administrative Assistant Connie Oden for their efforts in developing the budget book and maintaining a good handle on County finances.