Cumberland County has received the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award from the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) for the County’s Fiscal Year 2024 Budget. This is the first time Cumberland County has received this award in more than 20 years, having previously received the award in 1998.

The award represents a significant achievement and reflects the commitment of the governing body and staff to meeting the highest principles of governmental budgeting. In order to receive the budget award, entities must satisfy nationally recognized guidelines for 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 fourteen mandatory criteria within those categories, to receive the award.

“I appreciate and commend the hard work of the Budget & Performance Department achieving this award from the GFOA under the leadership of Deborah Shaw, Budget & Performance Director,” said County Manager Clarence Grier in a press release. “It represents a significant achievement for the County and the Department.”

As part of pursuing the award, the Cumberland County Budget & Performance Department made numerous enhancements to the County’s budget process, including producing a video to more clearly present highlights from the FY 2024 budget to the public.

“Throughout the process of developing the FY 2024 budget, earning this award was one of our main goals,” said Shaw in a press release. “I appreciate the leadership and support of the County Manager and Board of Commissioners throughout this process, as well as the engagement from our County departments and the hard work our Budget staff put in to make this happen.”

There are more than 1,700 participants in the Budget Awards Program. The most recent Budget Award recipients, along with their corresponding budget documents, are posted quarterly on GFOA's website at gfoa.org. 

In addition to Shaw, the Cumberland County Budget & Performance Department consists of Denise Urban, Senior Budget & Management Analyst; Kelly Autry, Senior Budget & Management Analyst; Ashley Brewington, Budget & Management Analyst II; and Gathany Smith, Budget & Management Analyst I.

More information on the Budget & Performance Department can be found at  cumberlandcountync.gov/budget. For more information about GFOA and the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award, go to gfoa.org.