The City of Reidsville puts together an excellent annual audit. At least that’s the belief of the national Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA), which has awarded the City its “Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting” for Fiscal Year 2016. Reidsville has earned the honor for 23 years.
That puts the City in esteemed company. About 4,200 of approximately 52,600 eligible entities have received the honor across the United States. Out of North Carolina’s some 800 eligible entities, only 196 certificates have been issued.
The City of Reidsville is the only municipality in Rockingham County that participates in the program, which has a goal of ensuring that those who read these financial statements will have all the information they need to assess how the entity is doing financially. As of the 2015 Fiscal Year, Rockingham County had received the honor 25 years, the Rockingham County Schools 20 years and the State of North Carolina for 22 years. The City of Greensboro has the longest record in the state at 41 years as of the 2015 Fiscal Year.
This certificate program, established by the GFOA in 1945, seeks to encourage and assist state and local governments to go beyond the minimum requirements to prepare a comprehensive annual financial report, which promotes transparency and full disclosure.
“Not every city or town goes the extra mile to provide a comprehensive financial report,” explained Chris Phillips, Assistant City Manager of Administration and Finance Director for the City of Reidsville. “We wouldn’t be able to do it either if we didn’t have the support and resources that the City Council provides us.”
Reidsville Mayor Jay Donecker noted that past Councils saw the importance of reaching for this honor. “We think the City of Reidsville does a great job with the monies with which our citizens entrust us to provide needed services,” he said. “Winning this award for the past 23 years shows our commitment to giving our residents the tools needed to make sure we are using those monies wisely.“
Chris and the Finance Department do a wonderful job each year, gathering this information together and making sure it is accurate and transparent,” the Mayor continued. “It’s not a given that we will earn this certificate each year, but we have come to expect it because of the quality of our financial staff.”
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