City wins top honor for budget book


The city of Henderson doesn’t always have a lot to work with in its budget, but what it has it presents well.

In what has become an annual event, Henderson is receiving the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award from the Government Finance Officers Association for the current fiscal year, which began July 1.

City Manager Eric Williams said he received the GFOA notification in Monday’s mail. The letter from the association for 14,000 government finance professionals in North America was dated Feb. 28.

“It does all of us proud,” Williams wrote in an e-mail message announcing the award.

The award brings some good news to a financial team that has been under scrutiny since the city audit for the previous fiscal year, unveiled Jan. 28, showed an unrestricted general fund balance that was less than half the minimum sought by the state’s Local Government Commission.

In addition to recognizing the city in general, the award recognizes the finance officers most responsible for the budget. For this fiscal year in Henderson, those honorees are Finance Director Traig Neal and accounts supervisor Peggy McFarland.

Previously, Sandra Wilkerson oversaw the budget presentation, but she switched from budget analyst to assistant to the mayor in December 2003.

Williams and Neal did not return phone calls seeking comment Monday afternoon.

According to the GFOA, the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award is the highest recognition in governmental budgeting. About 900 governmental bodies have received the award since its creation in 1984.

“The award represents a significant achievement,” a GFOA news release reads. “It reflects the commitment of the governing body and staff to meeting the highest principles of government budgeting.”

To earn the award, a budget must be rated “proficient” in four areas: as a policy document; as a financial plan; as an operations guide; and as a communications device.

In some ways, the award answers critics who say the city has been secretive or misleading in its financial dealings, particularly in respect to Embassy Square. The award is not a judgment of the quality of financial management, but it’s praise for clarity in presenting what the city plans to do with its money.

Williams intends to recognize Neal and McFarland at a City Council meeting, probably after plaques arrive from the GFOA in eight to 10 weeks.