Prince William County Receives Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting

(Prince William County, VA) - Prince William County is once again the recipient of the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) award. This is a certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting for its Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR) for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2020. The report has been judged by an impartial panel to meet the high standards of the program, which includes demonstrating a constructive "spirit of full disclosure" to communicate its financial story and motivate potential users and user groups to read the report.

The Certificate of Achievement is the highest form of recognition in governmental accounting and financial reporting, and its attainment represents a significant accomplishment by a government and its management. This is the highest form of recognition in the area of governmental accounting and financial reporting and its attainment represents a significant accomplishment by the governing body, its management, and contributing staff. The County’s Chief Financial Officer, Michelle Attreed, attributes this award to all the hard work put forth by the Finance Department and other departments and agencies. Attreed said, “The County’s commitment to prudent financial planning, maintaining healthy reserves, and retaining its coveted triple AAA/AAa bond ratings enables the County to achieve this milestone and places Prince William County in a great position to continue to attract and retain new investments.”  This marks the 40^th consecutive year that the County has received this prestigious award.

The County is also the recipient of GFOA’s “Award for Outstanding Achievement in Popular Annual Financial Reporting” for its FY 2020 Popular Annual Financial Report (PAFR).  The PAFR is designed to meet the needs of a broader audience than that served by traditional financial reporting. This marks the 15^th consecutive year that the County has received this award. The award represents a significant achievement by the entity. To be eligible for the PAFR award, a government must also submit its comprehensive annual financial report to GFOA’s Certificate of Achievement for Excellent in Financial Reporting Program and receive the Certificate for the current fiscal year. Each eligible report is reviewed by judges who evaluate the report based on the following categories: reader appeal, understandability, distribution methods, creativity, and other elements.

The GFOA is a major professional association servicing the needs of over 21,000 appointed and elected local, state, and provincial-level government officials and other finance practitioners.