The City of Wichita has been recognized nationally for excellence in financial management and reporting. The City has been awarded the “Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting” from the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) for its 2013 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR); the Wichita Retirement Systems also received the GFOA excellence award for its 2013 CAFR, for the 15th consecutive year; and the City received the GFOA Award for Outstanding Achievement for its 2013 Popular Annual Financial Report, for the fifth consecutive year.
Mayor Carl Brewer presented the awards to the Finance Department during Tuesday’s City Council meeting, saying the awards represent the highest form of recognition in the area of governmental accounting and financial reporting.
The awards are based upon evaluation by an impartial panel of accounting professionals for satisfying the highest standards, including demonstrating a constructive “spirit of full disclosure” to communicate City government’s sound financial stewardship.
“These achievements in financial reporting demonstrate the City’s diligence in providing reliable information to the public in accordance with established professional standards,” City Manager Robert Layton said. “I want to thank the City Council for its continued interest and support in planning and conducting the financial operations of the City in a professional, responsible and progressive manner.”
There are 19,492 municipal governments in the U.S.; only 1,913 cities receive the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting Award for their CAFR, including only 25 cities in Kansas. The City of Wichita has received this award for the 41st consecutive year, more times than any other governmental jurisdiction in the state. The Wichita Retirement System was one of only 171 public pension systems to receive this recognition for its 2013 CAFR.
