FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Brandon Moorebmoore@tampabaywater.org727-791-2304 | 727-470-0702
CLEARWATER, Fla. — Tampa Bay Water’s 2013 Fiscal Year Budget has been awarded with a Distinguished Budget Presentation Award from the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA). This marks the fifth consecutive year that the agency has been bestowed this notable honor.
The Distinguished Budget Presentation is awarded to local or state government agencies that meet stringent criteria for budget and reporting. Tampa Bay Water was acknowledged for satisfying nationally recognized guidelines and for how well its budget served as a policy document, financial plan, communications device and an operations guide.
The award program was established by the GFOA in order to inspire government entities to create high-quality budgeting documents that not only meet the guidelines established by the National Advisory Council on State and Local Budgeting, but also the GFOA’s principles. According to the GFOA, “Award recipients have pioneered efforts to improve the quality of budgeting and provide an excellent example for other governments throughout North America.”
Participating in the program helps the agency ensure transparent communications with its member governments and stakeholders with regard to its budget. Other benefits of this honor include, staying up to date with the latest trends in documentation, and meeting the agency vision to: be a model for regional water supply in the nation; be a leader in innovation and best practices; and be a respected member of the Tampa Bay community.
Christina Sackett, Tampa Bay Water’s Chief Financial Officer, said, “The staff at Tampa Bay Water have worked diligently to provide budget documentation that not only meets national guidelines, but exceeds this criteria as well. We could not be more proud to have been awarded with this notable honor for our past five fiscal year budgets and plan to continue to exercise these best practices in the future.”
About Tampa Bay Water
Tampa Bay Water provides wholesale water to the public utility systems of Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas counties, as well as the cities of New Port Richey, St. Petersburg and Tampa. To learn more about Tampa Bay Water, please visit www.tampabaywater.org
About the GFOA
The Government Finance Officers Association is a nonprofit professional association serving over 17,600 government finance professionals throughout North America. The GFOA’s Distinguished Budget Presentation Awards Program is the only national awards program in governmental budgeting. The guidelines are established by the National Advisory Council on State and Local Budgeting and the GFOA’s recommended practices on budgeting.
For news media requests, please contact: Michelle Stom, MPA, APR Chief of Staff/Chief Strategy Officer O: (727) 791-2305 | M: (727) 418-4652 Brandon Moore, APR Public Communications Manager O: (727) 791-2304 | M: (727) 470-0702
