The City of Wilmington Receives GFOA’s Distinguished Budget Presentation Award

January 6, 2021

Wilmington Mayor Mike Purzycki and the City’s Office of Management and Budget Director Robert S. Greco announced today that the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) has again honored Wilmington with its Distinguished Budget Presentation Award for the City’s presentation of its budget to the public. This award, which pertains to the Annual Budget for the Fiscal Year beginning July 1, 2020, represents the 31^st consecutive year the City has received the highest form of recognition given for governmental budgeting.

To receive the award, a public entity must publish a budget document that satisfies nationally recognized guidelines for effective budget presentation. That includes how well the published budget meets program criteria as a policy document, a financial plan, an operations guide, and a communications device. Budget documents must be rated at least “proficient” in all four categories and fourteen mandatory criteria within those categories to be recognized.

Although Wilmington has received GFOA’s highest honor for more than three decades by presenting a budget that is well-organized and easy for residents to follow, this year’s honor is noteworthy because the City earned an “Outstanding” rating in 10 out of 14 of GFOA’s mandatory criteria, more than any previous year.

“Our team works hard each year to assemble a budget document of the highest quality, with the goal of making it as informative as possible, yet easily understood by the average citizen,” said Budget Director Greco. “We want people to clearly see the vast array of important services their City government provides and how their tax dollars are being spent.”

“I congratulate Rob Greco and his staff on this remarkable achievement, and for consistently presenting a budget that is both professionally compiled and easily understood by government employees and the public,” said Mayor Purzycki. “OMB’s work enables citizens to see more about how their government manages programs and funding,” he continued, “which is consistent with my administration’s push for increased transparency and efficiency in government.”

The City’s Annual Budget may be found here, and additional information about the budget, along with interactive financial reports, may be found on OpenGov [stories.opengov.com].

There are over 1,600 participants in the GFOA’s Budget Awards Program, established in 1984 to encourage and assist state and local governments to prepare budget documents of the highest quality. Just 2% of the thousands of eligible public entities throughout North America are awarded the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award annually.

GFOA is a major professional association servicing the needs of more than 19,000 appointed and elected local, state, and provincial-level government officials and other finance practitioners. It provides top-quality publications, training programs, services, and products designed to enhance the skills and performance of those responsible for government finance policy and management.