Posted on January 5, 2021 at 4:18 PM by Darren Musselwhite
Five years in a row! Wow! I’m so proud to report the following details regarding an incredible accomplishment for our city! It honors us among a very small percentage of governmental entities in the United States. One of my main goals when I took office in 2013 was to restore trust in our government and provide unprecedented transparency to my citizens who’ve entrusted me. This involves many facets of our operation, but none more important than our accounting and financial reporting. The team that surrounds me has proven to be nothing short of outstanding!
The City recently received our fifth consecutive Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting by the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) of the United States and Canada for our comprehensive annual financial report (CAFR) for fiscal year 2019 which ended September 30, 2019.
The GFOA, which began in 1945 and has offices in Chicago, IL and Washington, D.C., exists to encourage and assist state and local governments to go beyond the minimum requirements of generally accepted accounting principles to prepare comprehensive annual financial reports that evidence the spirit of transparency and full disclosure.
This certificate is the highest form of recognition in the area of governmental accounting and financial reporting, and its attainment represents a significant accomplishment by a government and its management. There are over 89,000 local governments/districts in the U.S. and less than 5% receive this prestigious award annually.
Transparency and excellent financial reporting are an ongoing standard and priority with the City of Southaven and I am proud to acknowledge the outstanding efforts of Edi McIlwain, Director of Finance, Tish Cox, Comptroller, and Chris Wilson, Chief Administrative Officer. This award is 100% credited to these super-talented people in our Finance and Administration Department and is important to the citizens of our city because it exemplifies the highest measure of financial integrity in our operations.
