DADE CITY, Fla. – Money-crunching teams from the Office of Pasco County Clerk & Comptroller recently earned top honors from the only international organization authorized to judge government accounting procedures and presentations.
The Chicago-based Government Finance Officers Association cited Pasco’s Clerk & Comptroller for the following awards:
- Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting to Pasco County for its comprehensive annual financial report for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2019.
- Award for Outstanding Achievement in Popular Annual Financial Reporting to the Office of Pasco County Clerk & Comptroller for its Popular Annual Financial Report for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2019.
- Distinguished Budget Presentation Award for its budget.
The comprehensive annual financial report was judged by an impartial panel to meet the high standards of the program, which includes demonstrating a constructive “spirit of full disclosure” to clearly communicate its financial story and motivate potential users and user groups to read the report.
The Certificate of Achievement is the highest form of recognition in the area of governmental accounting and financial reporting, and its attainment represents a significant accomplishment by a government and its management.
Pasco County Clerk & Comptroller Nikki Alvarez-Sowles 
Chris Mettler, Budget and Purchasing Director; Charles De Haan, Purchasing Specialist 
Top row: Tom Jackson, Communications Officer; Lisa Shippy-Gonzalez, Accounts Payable Operations Supervisor; Brenda Blake, Financial Services Manager; Rosemary Syrakos, Board Payroll Operations Supervisor; Dan Klein, Budget and Purchasing Manager; Charles De Haan, Purchasing Specialist. Bottom row: Matt Lazar, Financial Services Assistant Director; Heather Grimes, Chief Administrative Officer; Nikki Alvarez-Sowles, Esq., Clerk & Comptroller; Manny Long, Financial Services Director; Chris Mettler, Budget and Purchasing Director; Kim Thompson, Chief Operations Officer
This marked the 37th consecutive year the Pasco Clerk & Comptroller’s Office has won the Achievement for Excellence.
The Award for Outstanding Achievement in Popular Annual Financial Reporting is a prestigious national honor recognizing conformance with the highest standards for preparation of state and local government popular reports.
To receive an Award for Outstanding Achievement in Popular Annual Financial Reporting, a government unit must publish a Popular Annual Financial Report whose contents conform to program standards of creativity, presentation, understandability, and reader appeal.
An Award for Outstanding Achievement in Popular Annual Financial Reporting is valid for a period of one year only. The Pasco County Clerk & Comptroller has received a Popular Financial Reporting Award the last five years (fiscal years ended 2015-2019).
The Distinguished Budget Presentation 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. 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
- 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 presented to the individual(s) or department designated as being primarily responsible for having achieved the award. This has been presented to Christine M. Mettler, Budget and Purchasing Director.
There are more than 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.
Government Finance Officers Association 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.
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