Howard County Earns 'Excellence in Financial Reporting' Award

From the Howard County Government: Howard County Executive Allan H. Kittleman today announced that Howard County continues its streak of more than 40 years having merited a Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting. For the 41st consecutive year, the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) of the United States and Canada has honored the County for exceeding generally accepted accounting principles based on “Comprehensive Annual Financial Report” (CAFR) submissions.

“Four decades of recognition from governmental accounting and financial reporting professionals means that we have a long-standing culture and environment for excellence. It is also a credit to our financial stability, our government transparency and our quality staff,” said Kittleman. “Few jurisdictions can say they have consistently performed at this level year after year.”

Issued by the County each fiscal year, the CAFR is an official, financial statement of record, which includes statements of special revenue, capital projects, enterprise, internal service and trust, agency and general funds. An independently-audited report, it also provides information on long-term obligations and fixed assets, including infrastructure, and statistical charts on multi-year tax collection and assessable base figures. The CAFR offers transparency in government accounting for county taxpayers, elected officials, investors and anyone doing business with the County.

The County’s Director of Finance, Stanley Milesky, accepted the award for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2016 on behalf of his department. The Department of Finance collects and invests revenues in a fiscally responsible manner; provides financial services to taxpayers, businesses, agencies, residents and employees; and pays bills for the County.

GFOA represents nearly 17,500 members as the premier association of public sector finance professionals providing support to state and local governments.

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