ELLICOTT CITY, MD – Howard County Executive Calvin Ball today announced that Howard County earned a prestigious Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting from the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) of the United States and Canada. The professional group recently honored the county for excellence in following generally accepted accounting principles and promoting transparency in the “Annual Comprehensive Financial Report” submission for Fiscal Year 2020.
Our professional finance staff continues to uphold the highest accounting standards to earn this recognition from their peers. Howard County’s commitment to sound fiscal reporting and transparency for government spending remains second to none. I want to thank everyone in our fantastic Finance Department for their hard work, award-winning excellence, and continued efforts to help make Howard County an innovative and efficient government.
Each fiscal year, Howard County issues an official, independently-audited financial statement. This comprehensive report offers transparency in government accounting for the benefit of county taxpayers, elected officials, investors, vendors and consumers. The annual submission includes statements of special revenue, capital projects, enterprise, internal service and trust, agency and general funds. It also discloses the county’s long-term obligations and fixed assets, including infrastructure, and statistical charts on multi-year tax collection and assessable base figures.
I am so proud to lead this ongoing mission of integrity and superior quality in managing the county’s money. This recognition by our peers means that we do a tremendous job at being accountable to our community. It highlights the commitment and real sense of responsibility within our department to accurately, clearly and honestly share the county’s financial condition with the taxpayers and other interested parties.
The Department of Finance collects and invests revenues in a fiscally responsible manner; provides financial services to taxpayers, businesses, agencies, residents and employees; and pays bills for the county.
GFOA represents more than 20,000 members as the premier association of public sector finance professionals providing support to state and local governments. Howard County has earned this distinction for more than 45 years. Learn more about this award program here.