Crook County budget lands national award
Crook County has focused in recent years on improving its budget. That effort has resulted in accolades that highlight the quality of the financial document.
The county recently received notification from the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) of the United States and Canada that it has been awarded the GFOA “Distinguished Budget Presentation Award” for the fiscal year 2022-23 budget. It is the first time Crook County has received the award.
County leaders stress that the award represents a significant achievement, since it reflects the commitment of the county and finance staff to meet the highest principles of governmental budgeting standards.
“This is something the county has been really interested in for quite a while. We are very excited about it,” said Crook County Judge Seth Crawford. “I think it’s important because it’s not about the award, it’s about being critiqued by your peers and by these national organizations that show you what you’re doing right and places you can improve. It’s just an opportunity to be as efficient as possible.”
To receive the budget award, the county had to satisfy nationally recognized guidelines for effective budget presentation. These guidelines were 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 and the 14 mandatory criteria within those categories to receive the award.
Work on the county budget has focused on making the document more transparent for constituents and more reader-friendly. It includes more narratives, including one for each county department, and visual aids like graphs and charts to add context to the numbers.
“We have had some of that stuff in the past,” Crawford noted, “but we are really bringing that stuff together.
Crawford credited much of the improvement in the budget to the additions of Christina Haron and Jamie Berger to the county’s financial department.
“Without them, I don’t believe this (award) would have happened,” he said. “I think they are very passionate about making the county budget something people can relate to and can understand, not just a bunch of numbers on a page.”
Haron, the acting financing director of Crook County, said that the award recognition “acknowledges that, in addition to managing and budgeting county resources carefully, the finance staff has made great strides in how we effectively present and communicate our budget to county leaders and the public.”
Constituents can find the county’s 2022-23 budget on the county’s website as well as quarterly financial reports. Those seeking more details about the recent award recognition are encouraged to contact Haron at christina.haron@crookcountyor.gov or 541-447-6554.
*Editor: Jason Chaney, Central Oregonian
