ROCHELLE — Government Finance Officers Association announced last week that the City of Rochelle received GFOA's Distinguished Budget Presentation Award for its budget for its fiscal year that began Jan. 1. 2021.

The award represents a significant achievement by the entity, a GFOA press release said.

“It reflects the commitment of the governing body and staff to meeting the highest principles of governmental budgeting,” the release said. “In order 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 and 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 also presented to the individual(s) or department designated as being primarily responsible for having achieved the award. This has been presented to City of Rochelle.

There are over 1,700 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.

GFOA 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.