Etowah Water & Sewer Authority has recently been awarded with the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting for its comprehensive annual financial report (CAFR), according to a release by the organization. 

The certificate of achievement was awarded to the organization by the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) and is the highest form of recognition in the area of government accounting and financial reporting, the release said. 

“Its attainment represents a significant accomplishment by a government and its management,” the release said. “This is the 15th consecutive year the Authority has received this award.” 

The award is given to the individual(s), department or agency designated by the government as primarily responsible for preparing the award-winning CAFR, the release said, so it was presented to the Etowah Water & Sewer Authority’s finance department. 

The GOFA is a nonprofit professional association that serves approximately 17,500 government finance professionals and has offices in Chicago, Il and Washington, D.C. In order to be awarded the certificate of achievement, the release said that the CAFR was judged by an impartial panel to meet the high standards of the program, including demonstrating a constructive “spirit of full disclosure” to clearly communicate its financial story and to motivate potential users or user groups to read the CAFR. 

“We are extremely proud of our Finance Department and supporting staff,” Etowah Water & Sewer Authority General Manager Brooke Anderson said in the release. “Their commitment goes beyond compliance and accounting principles. They are continually and conscientiously acting as financial stewards of all our resources.”