Beaumont, CA - On Tuesday, February 7, 2023, the City of Beaumont Finance Department received recognition from the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA).  Chris Morrill, Executive Director of GFOA, prepared a video for City Council, recognizing the City Finance Department's award for Distinguished Budget Presentation. In the video, Chris stated, " Receiving this award is particularly meaningful in light of the extreme financial challenges and legal setbacks the city faced in 2015....the finance team turned a budget deficit into a surplus and allocated resources to better serve its citizens".

To view the entire video from GFOA click here.

A press release issued by GFOA last month stated - The award represents a significant achievement by the City. 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 City had to satisfy nationally recognized guidelines for effective budget presentation. These 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

Budget documents must be rated "proficient" in all four categories, and in the fourteen mandatory criteria within those categories, to receive the award. When a Distinguished Budget Presentation Award is granted to an entity, a Certificate of Recognition for Budget Presentation is also presented to the individual(s) or department designated as being primarily responsible for having achieved the award. This has been presented to the City of Beaumont’s Finance Department.

There are over 1,700 participants in the Budget Awards Program. The most recent Budget Award recipients, along with their corresponding budget documents, are posted quarterly on GFOA's website here: https://www.gfoa.org/ . Award recipients have pioneered efforts to improve the quality of budgeting and provide an excellent example for other governments throughout North America.

The Beaumont City Council and Staff are proud of this recognition and the hard work that has gone into continuing to make the City of Beaumont, a great place to live, work, and do business. This award is confirmation of the great work being done by our Council and Staff, as well as affirmation that we continue to be A City, Elevated!