Richland County’s Budget and Grants Management Office has earned the highest honor in governmental budgeting for the 26th consecutive year.

The Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) recently presented a Distinguished Budget Presentation Award to the Budget and Grants Management Office for its biennial budget for the biennium beginning July 1, 2019.

Richland County’s annual Budget Book, which details the biennial budget, was cited for meeting specific criteria, including an emphasis on public access. The document gives insight into how residents’ tax dollars are used and is readily available on the County’s website.

“This award … represents a significant achievement,” County Administrator Leonardo Brown said in a congratulatory video to Budget and Grants staff.

Addressing the staff, Brown continued: “Thank you for representing yourselves well. Thank you for representing the County well. We look forward to continuous efforts of excellence such as these as we continue to work on improving our budgeting within Richland County.”

The video is available on the County’s YouTube page.

To earn the award, the County had to meet nationally recognized guidelines for effective budget presentation. Those guidelines assess how well a budget serves as a policy document, financial plan, communications device and operations guide.

According to the GFOA, the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award is the highest form of recognition in the area of governmental budgeting, and its attainment represents a significant accomplishment by a government and its management. The GFOA has awarded Richland County with the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award every year since 1995.

The Chicago-based GFOA represents the public finance industry and has more than 20,000 members.

##