The Town of North Hempstead has maintained its strong record for thorough and transparent financial reports, according to a national group of finance officials.
The Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada gave the town its fifth straight Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting last week for its report on the 2014 fiscal year, a “prestigious” recognition that reflects the town’s commitment to fiscal responsibility, town Supervisor Judi Bosworth said in a statement.
“The comptroller’s team is pleased to receive this honor, a humbling acknowledgement of the hard work that was put into providing a (comprehensive annual financial report that meets GFOA’s impeccable reporting standards,” Town Comptroller Averil Smith said in a statement.
To get the distinction, the town submits its financial report to the GFOA’s committee of experts on public sector financial reporting to review within six months of the end of the fiscal year.
The review process takes another four to six months, according to the GFOA’s website.
States, counties, school districts, councils of governments, colleges, universities, enterprise funds and public employee retirement systems are also eligible for the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting.
The program’s goal isn’t to assess the strength of their finances, the website says, “but rather to ensure that users of their financial statements have the information they need to do so themselves.”
The Town of North Hempstead has gotten the certification since 2011.
In 2014, the Towns of North Hempstead and Hempstead, the Villages of Garden City and Rockville Centre, and the Lynbrook school district also got the honor for their 2013 fiscal year reports.
