At Tuesday evening’s City Council meeting, the city of Bothell received special recognition from the Washington State Auditor’s Office for achieving 10 consecutive years with no audit findings. Washington State law requires cities to be audited annually. Audit procedures are performed to determine whether the city complied with state laws and regulations and its own policies and procedures.

“We are fortunate to have a conscientious staff that is fiscally responsible at all times,” said City Manager Bob Stowe. “Our citizens can trust in the fact that their city ensures accountability for our public dollars.”

“The city of Bothell recognizes its ethical and fiduciary responsibility to its citizens to carefully account for public funds and wisely manages municipal finances,” said Finance Director Tami Shackman.

Bothell aligns one-time expenses with one-time revenues and ongoing expenses with ongoing revenues.  For example, money from one-time sources (such as the sales tax on a large construction project) is used for one-time city projects rather than for services that would have to be paid for year after year.  This business practice ensures that the city does not spend beyond its means, allowing the city to provide consistent, reliable government services. The city’s 2011-2012 budget can be viewed at www.ci.bothell.wa.us.