Snow Hill, Maryland (January 14, 2022) – The Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) of the United States and Canada awarded Worcester County Government (WCG) a Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting for the thirteenth consecutive year. This prestigious award, which is valid for a period of only one year, is the highest form of recognition in the area of governmental accounting and financial reporting.
“Accountability and transparency continue to be the focus of our financial reporting,” Finance Officer Phil Thompson said. “We do this to provide the residents of Worcester County with a document that is understandable and useful for decision making.”
Thompson, Budget Officer Candace Savage, Deputy Finance Officer Jessica Wilson, Senior Budget Accountant Kim Reynolds, Tax Manager Michelle Carmean, and Enterprise Fund Controller Barbara Hitch accepted the certificate on behalf of the county.
The GFOA recognizes contributions to the practice of government finance that exemplify outstanding financial management. WCG was honored with this recent recognition for its Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR) for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2020. The ACFR has been judged by an impartial panel to meet the high standards of the program, including demonstrating a constructive “spirit of full disclosure” to clearly communicate its financial story and motivate potential users and user groups to read the ACFR.
The Certificate of Achievement represents a significant accomplishment by a government and its management in any of nine categories. To be awarded the Certificate of Achievement, a governmental unit must publish an easily-readable and efficiently-organized ACFR, with content that conforms to program standards. Such reports should satisfy Generally Accepted Accounting Principles and applicable legal requirements.
The GFOA is a nonprofit professional association serving approximately 18,000 government finance professionals. Additional information on the Government Finance Officers Program is available at www.gfoa.org.