Cheshire Government Reporting and Transparency Honored

The town of Cheshire's Finance Department has been singled out for the 20th year for its fiscal reporting.

The Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada has awarded the town the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting for its Fiscal Year 2011-2012 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report.

The organization created the award in 1945 "to encourage and assist state and local governments to go beyond the minimum requirements of generally accepted accounting principles to prepare comprehensive annual financial reports that evidence the spirit of transparency and full disclosure," according to its website, "and then to recognize individual governments that succeed in achieving that goal."

"The GFOA awards this Certificate of Achievement as the highest form of recognition in the area of governmental accounting and financial reporting," according to a release from the town, "and its attainment represents a significant accomplishment by a government and its management." 

The award cites the town’s excellence in meeting the high fiscal standards set by the GFOA and clearly "communicating the town’s financial story and demonstrating a 'spirit of full disclosure.'"

The GFOA is a nonprofit professional association serving approximately 17,500 government finance professionals through the United States and Canada.