The city of Durango was recognized by the Government Finance Officers Association, a nonprofit representing finance officials from the local to federal level in the United States and Canada, for its clear and concise presentation of its 2023 budget.
The city received the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award from the GFOA for its 2023 budget, said Devon Schmidt, acting finance director, at Tuesday’s City Council meeting.
The award is “the highest honor bestowed by the finance officers’ association,” she said. “The award is given to governments that meet the higher standards of budget presentation.”
Governments qualify for the award by demonstrating they understand the budget process, are able to prepare an accurate, complete and comprehensible budget, and by communicating the budget in a clear and concise manner, Schmidt said.
The city received the same award last year and in 2019. In 2021, the city was recognized with the GFOA award for Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting, Schmidt said.
Each year, over 1,700 governments receive the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award. Governments must submit their annual comprehensive reports as part of the awards process, according to the GFOA.
“With any financial document there is a challenge in making sure the information is easily accessible and digestible for the public, community and Council,” Schmidt said in an email to The Durango Herald.
She said the city has made great efforts toward financial transparency since 2021. It adopted the online platform OpenGov which presents the city’s budget in an online format that is routinely updated and also includes a PDF format.
The budget process begins in May and is finalized by City Council in December, which requires an enormous amount of planning between departments, City Council and the community, Schmidt said. Last year, for example, the city budget team attended farmers markets, hosted two town halls and public hearings, and held a survey to gauge the community’s funding priorities.
“The recognition is really a testament to the work and dedication of our finance department,” Schmidt said Tuesday. “I really want to give the kudos to them and all their efforts to put forth the 2023 budget as well as all the department directors that participate in that process with the budget team.”
GFOA reviewers found the city’s 2023 budget was well organized, easy to understand, and recognized the city for its “outstanding” strategic goals and strategies, she said.
José Madrigal, city manager, said the award is just another step for the city in the direction of continuing to improve in financial excellence.
“We continue to improve and continue to strive for more and more recognition in regard to how our budget is presented and the information that’s presented in it,” he said. “And especially intertwining it with our strategic plan and our strategic goals, which is something that not many organizations do very well.”
He said the prestigious award is another kudos to City Council for its direction to financial staff who rolled out improved financial practices.
Former city councilors Kim Baxter and Barbara Noseworthy, who ended their terms on April 18, said in departing remarks they brought a focus on whipping the city budget and finances into stronger shape.
Melissa Youssef, who was appointed mayor for the second time in her two terms on April 18, complemented the outgoing councilors for their contributions to improving the city’s finances, noting their involvement in overhauling financial oversight in the fallout of former finance director Julie Brown’s conviction for embezzlement of over $712,000 in 2020.
She also acknowledged Baxter’s and Noseworthy’s help in drafting the city’s first strategic plan, a guiding document that lays out the city’s short- and long-term plans, which GFOA reviewers also complemented.
In a news release about the award, Schmidt said, “We believe that a well-crafted budget is essential to good governance. It allows us to communicate our priorities to the public and to make sure that our resources are used effectively.”
She said the city is committed to continued improvement of its budget process and providing residents with the best government services possible.
Schmidt is serving as the acting finance director given the departure of Cynthia Sneed, the city’s former finance director, who started with the city in 2020.
Sneed was hired on the heels of Brown’s embezzlement case and said then her approach to the role would be transparency and communication, prioritizing financial checks-and-balances designed to catch fraud.
She retired on April 3 on good terms with the city, Schmidt said. Madrigal and city councilors thanked her for her service and her contributions to the city.
Sneed has since taken a job as the Boulder City, Nevada, finance director/real estate officer, according to the Boulder City Review.
Schmidt said Sneed reported directly to Madrigal, the city manager. Madrigal intends to take his time finding the right leader for the city’s finance department. Schmidt was named acting chief financial officer in the interim because she oversees areas under the finance director position in addition to her experience with budgeting and strategic planning.
cburney@durangoherald.com
