The Jefferson City Finance Department was recognized Monday for receiving the Distinguished Budget Presentation award for its 2016 budget.
At the City Council meeting Monday, City Administrator Steve Crowell congratulated the Finance Department and former director of finance/IT Bill Betts, as well as the current director Margie Mueller.
The award was issued by the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada. According to a release from the association, the award “reflects the commitment of the governing body and staff to meeting the highest principles of governmental budgeting.†To receive the award, a government’s budget is rated on how well it serves as a policy document, a financial plan, an operations guide and a communications device.
For their work on the budget, Chief Accountant Shiela Pearre and Senior Accountant Cara Sankey also were presented with certificates of recognition for the budget presentation.
“This is a significant accomplishment,†Crowell said.
This is the second year in a row the city has received the award. After receiving the award in 2015, Betts said the city had not received the award in the past 20 years.
The council also heard the audit report from Evers and Company for the 2015 fiscal year. Jo Moore, with Evers and Company, said the city received a clean audit, noting there were no concerns identified and that staff should be commended for that.
The council also heard from the Council for Drug Free Youth on an initiative to raise the age for purchasing tobacco from 18 to 21. No formal proposal has reached the council on increasing the age for purchasing tobacco, and no action was taken Monday.