5th Consecutive Year Under Poloncarz that the County’s Comprehensive Annual Financial Report Has Been Recognized by the Government Finance Officers Association
ERIE COUNTY, NY—Today, Erie County Comptroller Mark Poloncarz proudly announced that Erie County has been awarded the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting by the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada (“GFOA”) for its 2009 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (“CAFR”). The County has received the award every year during Poloncarz’s tenure as Erie County Comptroller.
“This award is the GFOA’s highest form of recognition for excellence in the areas of governmental accounting and financial reporting,” said Poloncarz. “It is imperative that the Comptroller’s office operates in a transparent and responsive manner, and part of that is to fully communicate to the taxpayers the state of Erie County’s fiscal health. It is gratifying to see this commitment is being recognized for the 5th year in a row.”
The GFOA established the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting Program in 1945 to encourage and assist state and local governments to prepare comprehensive annual financial reports that evidence the spirit of transparency and full disclosure and then to recognize individual governments that succeed in achieving that goal. Reports are reviewed by selected members of the GFOA professional staff and the GFOA Special Review Committee, which comprises individuals with expertise in public-sector financial reporting.
Poloncarz added, “Erie County’s 2009 CAFR was judged by an impartial panel of government finance professionals to meet the high standards of the GFOA. I am proud that GFOA recognized the outstanding work completed by my staff.”
The CAFR is an all-encompassing audited financial report for Erie County. It includes financial statements for all operations, narrative information and analyses, updated debt disclosures, multi-year statistical trend information, and reports and opinions from the County’s independent auditor. This report serves to fulfill the County’s legal requirement for a financial audit and countywide financial report for the fiscal year.
Working with the County’s independent outside auditor, the 2009 CAFR was completed by the Comptroller’s office in 2010.
In addition to completing award winning CAFR’s, under Poloncarz’s leadership, the Comptroller’s office also issues comprehensive quarterly financial reports, which is standard practice in the private sector but rare for local governments.
A copy of the 2009 CAFR is available on the Comptroller’s web site by clicking here.