For the 28th consecutive year, the City of Knoxville’s Finance Department has been recognized for its commitment to meeting “the highest principles of governmental budgeting” by a leading professional association.

The Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA) awarded the City’s Finance Department a Distinguished Budget Presentation Award.

Award recipients, according to GFOA, “have pioneered efforts to improve the quality of budgeting and provide an excellent example for other governments throughout North America.”

The award was presented to Finance Director Jim York, who credited his staff’s “insistence on accuracy, precision and transparency.”

“This award – and the number of consecutive years that Knoxville has been recognized – attest to the dedication and professionalism of the Finance Department staff,” York said.

To receive the distinction, the City of Knoxville satisfied nationally recognized guidelines designed to assess how well an entity’s budget serves as a policy document, a financial plan, an operations guide and a means of communications.

Budget documents must be rated “proficient” in all four categories, plus the 14 mandatory criteria within those categories, to receive the award.