New Canaan Receives Budget Presentation Award From GFOA

NEW CANAAN, CT — The Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada has awarded the town of New Canaan the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award for its FY2024 Budget documents.

According to a news release provided by the town, New Canaan officials had to satisfy nationally recognized guidelines for effective budget presentation to receive the budget award.

The guidelines are designed to assess how well the budget serves as:

• a policy document
• a financial plan
• an operations guide
• a communication device

Award recipients have pioneered efforts to improve the quality of budgeting and provide an excellent example for other entities and throughout North America and Canada, town officials said.

The Finance Department worked with all town bodies to meet the performance challenges of responsible and responsive financial reporting, officials said.

"The receipt of this GFOA award represents a significant achievement by the town," First Selectman Dionna Carlson said in a news release, "and reflects the commitment of all of our town bodies – Board of Selectmen, Board of Education, Town Council and Audit Committee – as well as our town Finance Department to meeting the highest principles of governmental budgeting. CFO Anne Kelly-Lenz, along with Budget Manager Josh Kaufman, manage the finances of New Canaan well. We thank the finance staff for their hard work, dedication and achievement on behalf of our town."

According to town officials, the GFOA advances excellence in government finance by providing best practices, professional development, resources, and practical research for more than 21,000 members and the communities they serve. It is headquartered in Chicago with offices in Washington, D.C.

Town financial documents can be found on the Department of Finance page of the town website.