FREEPORT – In a rare bit of good news surrounding the concept of a budget, the town of Freeport has received the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada Distinguished Budget Presentation Award for its fiscal year 2012 budget,
Abigail Yacoben, Freeport’s finance director, who was presented the award for her work on the budget, said the recognition is given in the spirit of transparency.
“In other words, people have to be able to understand it. You have to make a budget easy and fun to read,” Yacoben said. “People don’t often know where to start when they are presented with a huge binder full of numbers.
“It’s a great award. We try and present an easy to digest budget with an emphasis on the facts. People give us the policy directive so we can implement it,” she said.
According to information supplied by the organization, the nonprofit Government Finance Officers Association is a professional association serving more than 17,500 government finance professionals throughout North America. Its Distinguished Budget Presentation Award is the only such national program in governmental budgeting.
Abigail Yacoben, Freeport’s finance director, shows off the town’s Government Finance Officers Association budget presentation award. Send questions/comments to the editors.
