Reporting Awards For County Clerk’s Office

When Clerk & Comptroller Sharon Bock was first elected in 2004, one of her top priorities was educating Palm Beach County residents about government finance and bringing transparency to how tax dollars are spent, which led to Checks and Balances: Your Guide to County Finances, a citizen’s report on Palm Beach County’s finances.

For the seventh consecutive year, the Clerk & Comptroller’s Office earned the prestigious “Outstanding Achievement in Popular Annual Financial Reporting” from the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA).

“For government to work best, citizens need to understand how their tax dollars are budgeted and spent. That’s why we created Checks and Balances — to give Palm Beach County residents a guide to understand government finance,” Bock said. “I’m pleased that the GFOA continues to recognize the importance of providing financial information in a user-friendly, accessible manner.”

Also recognized by the GFOA for the 24th consecutive year was the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR), produced yearly by the clerk’s office. The report received the association’s prestigious “Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting.”

It is the third time this year that the GFOA has recognized the clerk’s office for excellence in financial reports. In June, the office received the “Distinguished Budget Presentation Award,” the highest honor given by the GFOA.

The Checks and Balances guide, a retrospective look at Fiscal Year 2012, contains useful information about how Palm Beach County tax dollars are spent, economic factors that affect county revenues and how property taxes are calculated. The information is drawn mostly from the more detailed CAFR. Both reports are produced at the end of each fiscal year and are available, along with other financial information, on the County Financial Reports section of www.mypalmbeachclerk.com.

The GFOA is a nonprofit professional association which offers benchmarking and independent analysis of public accounting practices and financial reporting.

For more about the clerk’s office, visit www.mypalmbeachclerk.com or call (561) 355-2996.