*Generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) have established the basic financial statements and required supplementary information (as the minimum standard for financial reporting in the public sector.  Governments are expressly encouraged to go beyond these minimum requirements and to present a comprehensive annual financial report  (CAFR). The City prepares a CAFR annually and presents the document to the Investment, Banking & Audit Committee every November, and City Council every December.

The CAFR has three major sections: introductory, financial, and statistical.  The introductory section furnishes general information on the City’s structure, services, and environment.  The financial section contains all individual funds and discreetly presented component units not reported separately in the basic financial statements.  The statistical section provides trend data and non-financial data useful in interpreting the basic financial statements and is especially important for evaluating economic condition.

The Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) awarded a Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting to the City for its Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2016.  This was the 17th consecutive year that the City has received this prestigious award.  

In order to be awarded a Certificate of Achievement, a government unit must publish as easily readable and efficiently organized CARF that satisfies both generally accepted accounting principles and applicable legal requirements.  A Certificate of Achievement is valid for a period of one year only.  We believe that the current CAFR continues to meet the Certificate of Achievement program requirements and has been submitted to the GFOA for award consideration.