ELLICOTT CITY, MD – Howard County Executive Calvin Ball today announced that Howard County sets a national example of award-winning financial reporting and transparency as the county was recognized with the prestigious Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting from the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) of the United States and Canada. The professional group recently honored the county for its efforts to openly share government spending activity with taxpayers and maintain the highest financial standards by following generally accepted accounting principles in the “Annual Comprehensive Financial Report” submission for Fiscal Year 2022.
Our outstanding finance team demonstrates our commitment to the highest accounting standards and earns this recognition from professional peers at the GFOA. Howard County’s dedication to reporting and publicly sharing our government spending activities and sound fiscal policy decisions ensures that we are both responsible and accountable for the taxpayer dollars entrusted to us. I am deeply grateful for the department’s hard work, award-winning practices, and ongoing efforts to keep Howard County among the most innovative and efficient jurisdictions in the country.
Each fiscal year, Howard County issues this official, independently-audited financial statement. The comprehensive report details government accounting activity for the benefit of county taxpayers, elected officials, investors, vendors and consumers in a transparent and impartial fashion. The annual submission includes statements of special revenue, capital projects, enterprise, internal service and trust, agency and general funds. It also discloses the county’s long-term obligations and fixed assets, including infrastructure, and statistical charts on multi-year tax collection and assessable base figures.
We remain accountable to our community and we follow a spirit of full disclosure. I am proud to lead a team that puts integrity and superior quality into everything we do. This recognition by our peers is never taken for granted and encourages us to maintain our focus to accurately, clearly and honestly share the county’s financial condition with the taxpayers and other interested parties.
The Department of Finance collects and invests county revenues in a fiscally responsible manner; provides financial services to taxpayers, businesses, agencies, residents and employees; and pays bills for the county. Howard County has earned this distinction for excellence for more than 45 years.
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. Learn more about the national award program here.