WORCESTER COUNTY HONORED FOR EXCELLENCE IN FINANCIAL REPORTING

Worcester County Government (WCG) was recently honored with an award and a Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting for the seventh consecutive year by the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) of the United States and Canada. The GFOA recognizes contributions to the practice of government finance that exemplify outstanding financial management, and WCG was honored with this recent recognition for its comprehensive annual financial report (CAFR) for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2015.

“Receiving the GFOA award for the last seven years is truly an honor and reflects the strong work ethic and standards of the Finance Office staff and management team,” Finance Officer Phil Thompson said. “It requires a truly dedicated and knowledgeable team to accomplish this task, and I am fortunate to work with such a team.”

The Certificate of Achievement is the highest form of recognition awarded to local governments in the areas of accounting and financial reporting. The CAFR was judged by an impartial panel to meet the high standards of the program, including demonstrating a constructive “spirit of full disclosure” to clearly communicate its financial story and motivate potential users and user groups to read the CAFR. 

To be awarded the Certificate of Achievement, a governmental unit must publish an easily readable and efficiently organized CAFR, and its contents must conform to program standards. Such reports should satisfy Generally Accepted Accounting Principles and applicable legal requirements. 

WCG was a recipient for this prestigious award, with Finance Officer Phil Thompson, Budget Officer Kathy Whited, Assistant Finance Officer Jennifer Swanton, Enterprise Fund Controller Jessica Ramsay and Budget Accountant Kim Watts accepting the certificate on behalf of the county.