July 7, 2021
The City of South Bend has received three awards for excellence in financial reporting from the Government Finance Officers Association of the Unites State and Canada (GFOA).
The City’s comprehensive annual financial report for 2019 received the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting Award, the 2019 Budget Presentation received the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award, and the City also received the 2019 Popular Annual Financial Reporting Award. Combined, the three awards are called the GFOA’s “Triple Crown.”
“Two pillars of public service are transparency and accountability,” said Mayor James Mueller. “I commend our team in the Department of Administration and Finance for always keeping those pillars in focus as they work to make City finances accessible to our residents.”
The City of South Bend has received the Certificate of Achievement award for 30 years in a row and is one of only five Indiana cities to receive the award for 2019. The 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.
“Transparency is the foundation of good public service, and thus one of our most important priorities is to provide accurate, easily accessible information on the City’s finances,” said City Controller Dan Parker. “We are proud to once again receive this award and continue the tradition of being good stewards of our community’s resources.”
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.