SPARKS — The Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA) has announced that the city of Sparks has received the GFOA’s Distinguished Budget Presentation Award for its fiscal year 2011-12 budget. This is the fourth consecutive year the city has received the award.

The award represents a significant achievement by the city’s Financial Services Department and honors the city staff for meeting the highest principles of governmental budgeting. In order to receive the award, the city had to satisfy nationally recognized guidelines for effective budget presentation. Budget documents must be rated “proficient” in all four of the defined categories, and the 14 mandatory criteria within those categories, to receive the award.

“This is a true testament to the dedication of the city’s Financial Services Department to adhere to strict financial standards and ensure transparency when it comes to how we spend public funds,” Sparks Mayor Geno Martini said. “We appreciate the efforts of Financial Services Director Jeff Cronk, Budget Administrator Stacie Hemmerling and the entire Financial Services team at the city who are top-notch public servants committed to managing the city’s finances with the utmost respect for taxpayer dollars.”

The Government Finance Officers Association is a nonprofit professional association serving nearly 17,400 government finance professionals throughout North America. The GFOA’s Distinguished Budget Presentation Awards program is the only national awards program in governmental budgeting.