View at financial details in table thru magnifying glass close-up

Finance earns honor for excellence in reporting

PRESS RELEASE
April 5, 2022

The Garfield County Finance Department has earned the Government Finance Officers Association’s (GFOA) Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting (ACFR) for 2020. This marks the 13th straight year the finance department has been honored with the certificate by the GFOA for its annual comprehensive financial report.

The award is presented to state and local governments that prepare financial documents at the highest quality, meeting all mandatory criteria. The county’s financial report was audited by McMahan and Associates, LLC, certified public accountants and consultants, out of Avon, to validate its accuracy.

“This audit is to ensure that our finances are in order and the report has been deemed by the GFOA to be in the top 10 percent of all local governments in reporting,” said Garfield County Manager Kevin Batchelder. “We’re very pleased that our staff has once again reached this level of excellence.”

“The Certificate of Achievement is the highest form of recognition in governmental accounting and financial reporting, and its attainment represents a significant accomplishment by a government and its management,” wrote Michele Mark Levine, director of the GFOA’s technical services center. “We hope that your example will encourage other government officials in their efforts to achieve and maintain an appropriate standard of excellence in financial reporting.”

Garfield County Interim Finance Director Lea Ann Zinnikas said the honor is a result of eight months of hard work and dedication to gather data and information to clearly communicate the county’s financial story.

“I am grateful to work alongside such a talented and diligent finance team,” she said. “We are proud of completing the 2020 ACFR on time, without needing to request an extension during COVID. This was possible due to the amazing collaborative efforts of all county departments, elected offices, and our auditors; we rolled up our sleeves and stuck to the schedule despite the difficult times and staff outages.”

“We’re really proud of your department,” added Commissioner John Martin. “Truly fantastic work. Display that award proudly.”

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