Mayor Domenic J. Sarno is proud to report that the city’s Administration and Finance Division, led by Chief Administrative and Financial Officer (CAFO) TJ Plante, has been recognized by the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA) with the prestigious Distinguished Budget Presentation Award for FY20 and the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting for FY19.
The Distinguished Budget Presentation Award is the highest form of recognition in governmental budgeting and represents a significant achievement for the City of Springfield, especially as the City continues to deal with the financial challenges due to the COVID-19 Coronavirus pandemic. This acknowledgement also marks the 13th year in a row in which the city has received this award.
The GFOA’s Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting is the highest form of recognition in the area of governmental accounting and financial reporting, and its attainment represents a significant accomplishment by a government and its management. This is the ninth consecutive year that the City of Springfield’s finance team has received this accolade.
Mayor Sarno states, “I extend my appreciation to CAFO TJ Plante and the entire finance team for their ongoing hard work and dedication to my administration’s continued commitment to fiscal excellence, transparency and accountability. This year has been one of the most challenging fiscal years due to the ongoing COVID-19 Coronavirus pandemic, but our dedicated and award winning finance team is tested and true. They have the knowledge and the experience of navigating through such challenging times as we continue to work together to defeat his virus while also balancing the fiscal relief needed for our residents and business community and keeping our own municipal accounts balanced, in addition to dealing with uncertain revenue outlooks.”
“Since taking office, my administration has been committed to establishing a long-standing resiliency by maintaining core services, personnel and continued investment in our city’s future,” Mayor Sarno added. “With this COVID-19 pandemic, this has been even more of a challenge for our city team. We will continue to be prudent and with compassion while managing our city’s finances as we move forward during these uncertain times. To my CAFO TJ Plante and our entire finance team, congratulations on this well-deserved recognition!”
CAFO Plante stated, “Even amidst the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, our city continues to strive for financial excellence. This year especially with all of the fiscal uncertainty and the increase needs for all public health and safety aspects; our finance team has been up to the challenge. This award validates the tremendous work our city’s finance team is doing.”
The Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) is a major professional association serving the needs of nearly 20,000 appointed and elected local, state and provincial-level government officials and other financial practitioners in North America. The association is headquartered in Chicago, IL, with offices in Washington, D.C. For more information, please visit: http://www.gfoa.org/.