or a second year in a row, Moline’s Finance Department is the winner of a national Government Finance Officers Association Distinguished Budget Presentation Award.
The award was officially presented to members of the Finance Department at the Tuesday, July 18 City Council Meeting.
Out of roughly 20,000 cities in the United States, only 1,169 achieve this distinction from the GFOA. Only 51 Illinois cities have been recognized.
According to the organization’s award letter, to receive the award, Moline’s Finance Department had to satisfy nationally recognized guidelines for effective budget presentation. You can see Moline’s illustrated budget for FY 2023 here.
These guidelines assess how well the city’s budget serves as:
- A policy document
- A financial plan;
- An operations guide
- A communications device.
“Not many cities reach this level of financial reporting ever, or even pursue it,” said City Administrator Bob Vitas. “The fact our Finance Department pursues it and achieves it is remarkable.”
Moline was a first-time winner of the award last year. Vitas said the Finance Department sets a high bar for itself.
“This demonstrates to the public that we are transparent and that we are accountable,” he said. “It gives our residents a clear picture of what this city is doing with their tax dollars on all fronts.”