Gurnee on budget award streak

Gurnee has received another financial feather in its cap.

Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada has given a prestigious award to Gurnee. For the ninth consecutive year, the village has gained the organization’s Distinguished Budget Presentation Award.

Gurnee captured the latest kudos for the current fiscal year ending April 30, 2014.

The award represents a significant achievement by the village. It reflects the commitment of the governing body and staff to meeting the highest principles of governmental budgeting.

In order to receive the budget award, Gurnee had to satisfy nationally recognized guidelines for effective budget presentation, including 27 program and four overall criteria. These guidelines are designed to assess how well a government’s budget serves as a policy document, financial plan, operations guide and communications device.

As part of the process, certificate of recognition for budget presentation has gone to Gurnee Finance Director Diane Lembesis and Village Administrator Patrick Muetz.

Since the inception of the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award in 1984, about 1,400 government agencies in North America have been recipients.

Government Finance Officers Association is a nonprofit professional association serving 17,800 professionals throughout North America. The group offers the only national awards program in governmental budgeting.