City of Suwanee receives awards by national organizations

Sunday, August 16, 2009
© Copyright 2013 Gwinnett Daily Post

SUWANEE - The City of Suwanee was recently recognized by two national organizations for its performance management and financial reporting, city officials said.

The awarding agencies - the International City/County Management Association and the Government Finance Officers Association - touted Suwanee for demonstrating "a high level of accountability and transparency."

Financial Services Director Amie Sakmar said both awards are "reflections of Suwanee's desire to provide a higher level of accountability for budgeting and annual fiscal reporting to citizens and stakeholders."

The city was one of just 18 jurisdictions in the country to earn an ICMA Certificate of Distinction for it's efforts in performance measurement and management, DeWilde said. This includes reporting performance data to the public, verifying efforts to ensure data reliability, staff training and using performance data in strategic planning and decision-making.

An ICMA press release said, "In the current economic climate, performance management is more important than ever."

The city also received its sixth consecutive Certificate of Achievement from GFOA for its comprehensive annual financial report.

The certificate represents the highest form of recognition in the area of governmental accounting and financial reporting.

"We really try to go the extra mile in our annual financial report," Sakmar said. "We feel that the annual financial report should tell a story and explain to the reader who Suwanee is and what happens during the fiscal year."

City spokeswoman Lynne DeWilde said comprehensive financial reports and annual budgets are available online at www.suwanee.com.

Gwinnett Daily Post