Plainfield Park District Earns Prestigious Budget Award

Press release from Plainfield Park District:

PLAINFIELD, IL — The Plainfield Park District announced today that its Annual Budget document earned the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award by the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA). This is the 9th straight year the Park District has earned the distinction (first awarded in 2017).

A press release issued by the GFOA stated, “The award represents a significant achievement by the Plainfield Park District. 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, the Plainfield Park District had to satisfy nationally recognized guidelines for effective budget presentation.”

The guidelines are designed to assess how well an entity’s budget serves as:

• a policy document
• a financial plan
• an operations guide
• a communications device

According to the GFOA, budget documents must be rated “proficient” in all four categories, and in the fourteen mandatory criteria within those categories, to receive the award.

The GFOA advances excellence in government finance by providing best practices, professional development, resources and practical research for more than 25,000 members and the communities they serve.

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About Plainfield Park District

Founded in 1966, the Plainfield Park District is the 9th largest park district in the State of Illinois, serving over 110,000 residents in Will and Kendall Counties including the areas of Plainfield, Joliet, Romeoville and Crest Hill.

In 2023 and 2024, the District was named a finalist for the National Gold Medal Award for Excellence in Park and Recreation Management as selected by the American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration in partnership with the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA).

In 2022, the District joined the ranks of elite park and recreation agencies across the country by earning accreditation through the Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies (CAPRA) and the NRPA. CAPRA accreditation is the only national accreditation for park and recreation agencies, and is a measure of an agency’s overall quality of operation, management and service to the community.

The Plainfield Park District is also an Illinois Distinguished Accredited Agency for excellence in delivering parks and recreation services, and was honored as the best park district in the 2025 Herald-News Best of Will County Readers’ Choice Awards.

This press release was produced by the Plainfield Park District. The views expressed here are the author’s own.