City of St. Helens Receives Budget Award 2024

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 12, 2024

St. Helens, Ore. - The City of St. Helens has received a Distinguished Budget Presentation Award from the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) for the City’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2023-24 budget.

In order to receive the budget award, the City of St. Helens was required to satisfy nationally-recognized guidelines for an effective budget presentation. The guidelines are designed to assess how well an entity’s budget serves as a policy document, a financial plan, an operations guide, and a communications device.

Budget documents must be rated proficient in all four categories, and in the 14 mandatory criteria within those categories, to receive the award. This is the eleventh year that the City of St. Helens has received this award.

“The criteria changed for fiscal year 23/24, requiring additional information to meet the Government Finance Officers’ high standards for financial management and reporting,” City of St. Helens Finance Director Gloria Butsch said. “The criteria for the budget award are designed so that the budget document achieves a high standard of transparency and communication regarding the use and management of public money.”

When a Distinguished Budget Presentation Award is granted to an entity, a Certificate of Recognition for Budget Presentation is also presented to the individual(s) or department designated as being primarily responsible for having achieved the award. For the City of St. Helens, this award has been presented to the City’s Finance Department.

“St. Helens Accountant II Jamie Edwards and Accountant III Jennifer Johnson were instrumental in achieving this award,” Butsch noted. “The budget was developed during a transition from an interim finance director to me, which was a challenge in itself. Jenn and Jamie are exceptional and essential staff in achieving this award.”

There are over 1,700 participants in GFOA’s Budget Awards Program. The most recent Budget Award recipients, along with their corresponding budget documents, are posted quarterly on GFOA’s website, www.gfoa.org. Award recipients have pioneered efforts to improve the quality of budgeting and provide an excellent example for other governments throughout North America.

Government Finance Officers Association advances excellence in government finance by providing best practices, professional development, resources, and practical research for more than 22,500 members and the communities they serve.

###

For further information regarding the City of St. Helens budget award, please contact Communications Officer Crystal King at cking@sthelensoregon.gov.