The Denton County Transportation Authority (DCTA) was recently awarded the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award from the Government Finance Officers Association – a major professional association servicing the needs of 18,300 appointed and elected local, state and provincial-level government officials and other finance practitioners. GFOA's Distinguished Budget Presentation Awards Program is the highest form of recognition and only national awards program for governmental budgeting.
In order to receive this award, DCTA had to publish a budget document that satisfied nationally recognized guidelines for effective budget presentation. These guidelines are designed to assess how well an entity's budget serves as:
- A policy document
- A financial plan
- An operations guide
- A communications device
Budget documents must be rated "proficient" in all these four categories, and the fourteen mandatory criteria within those categories, to receive the award.
“Being a recipient of this award is a significant achievement and reflects DCTA’s commitment to meeting the high standards of governmental budgeting,” said Anna Mosqueda, DCTA chief financial officer. “Our Board sets high standards for excellence and transparency in all aspects of our operations, including financial operations. Meeting the criteria and ratings to achieve this award provides a framework that helps us continue to improve and achieve our vision of excellence.”
GFOA established the Distinguished Budget Presentation Awards Program (Budget Awards Program) in 1984 to encourage and assist state and local governments to prepare budget documents of the very highest quality that reflect both the guidelines established by the National Advisory Council on State and Local Budgeting, and the GFOA’s best practices on budgeting and then to recognize individual governments that succeed in achieving that goal.