NEWBURY — The town’s dedication to maintaining a responsible budget was recently recognized by the Government Finance Officers Association with the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award for its fiscal 2025 budget.
The association, founded in 1906, represents more than 20,000 public finance officials throughout the United States and Canada. Its mission is to advance excellence in public finance.
The organization established the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting program in 1945 to encourage and assist state and local governments in preparing comprehensive financial reports that are transparent and offer full disclosure while recognizing governments that achieve this goal.
Town Administrator Tracy Blais shared news of the award Tuesday, calling it an honor to be recognized for “transparency” and “sound financial practices.”
“Newbury is constantly seeking to improve its budgeting process to accommodate the needs of our community, and this recognition ensures we are successful in meeting that standard,” Blais said in a statement.
The award is a significant achievement in governmental accounting and financial reporting, reflecting the commitment of a governing body and its staff to meeting the highest standards of governmental budgeting.
The award is assessed based on the budget’s ability to serve 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 meet the 14 mandatory criteria in those categories.
Newbury officials also received this award for their fiscal 2024 budget – the first year the town won the award.
The association’s more than 20,000 members are federal, state/provincial and local finance officials deeply involved in planning, financing and implementing thousands of governmental operations in each of their jurisdictions.
The award-winning budget can be viewed at www.townofnewbury.org.
Matt Petry covers Amesbury and Salisbury for The Daily News of Newburyport. Email him at: mpetry@northofboston.com.