Annapolis (November 30, 2007) - County Executive John R. Leopold is pleased to announce that Anne Arundel County’s Office of the Budget has been chosen to receive the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award, for the current fiscal year beginning July 1, 2007, from the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) in Chicago, IL. The award reflects the commitment of the governing body and staff to meeting the highest principles of governmental budgeting. In order to receive the budget award, the entity had to satisfy nationally recognized guidelines for effective budget presentation. These guidelines are designed to assess how well an entity’s budget serves as a policy document, a financial plan, an operations guide, and a communications device. Budget documents must be rated "proficient" in all four categories to receive the award. "This award represents a significant achievement by the Anne Arundel County Office of the Budget. It is important to recognize the progress of such an integral department and to salute this accomplishment," Mr. Leopold said. When a Distinguished Budget Presentation Award is granted to an entity, a Certificate of Recognition for Budget Presentation is also presented to the individual or department designated as being primarily responsible for its having achieved the award. This has been presented to the Anne Arundel County Office of the Budget. The Government Finance Officers Association is a nonprofit professional association serving 16,800 government finance professionals throughout North America. The GFOA’s Distinguished Budget Presentation Awards Program is the only national awards program in governmental budgeting. | 
