The City of Kenmore was recently awarded the Government Finance Officers Association’s Distinguished Budget Presentation Award for its budget.

The awards program was established in 1984 to help local and state governments produce high-quality budget documents that meet guidelines created by National Advisory Council on state and local budgeting.

According to a city press release, the award reflects the commitment of the governing body and staff to meeting the highest principles of governmental budgeting. In order to receive the budget award, the city has to satisfy 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 and a communications device.

Budget documents must be rated “proficient” in all four categories and in the 14 mandatory criteria within those categories to receive the award.

The City of Kenmore has been presented this award for every budget prepared since 2002.

During the Oct. 9 Kenmore City Council meeting, Mayor David Baker presented Joanne Gregory, finance and administration director, with the Certificate of Recognition for Budget Presentation. This year, Kenmore is one of 432 governments in the United States and 42 in Washington to receive this award.