Niagara Region wins award for effective budget presentation

Not long after Niagara Region saw credit rating agency Standard & Poor’s jump the region’s credit from AA to AA+ (the second highest rating), it also received the Government Finance Officers Association’s Distinguished Budget Presentation Award.

So what exactly does that mean? It means when they presented the regional 2022 budget, financially-speaking, they had all their ducks in a row.

To the employees in the Finance Management and Planning Department who laboriously crafted the budget and later, the politicians who passed it, it’s a serious pat on the back.

Said the Region, “It reflects the commitment of the governing body and staff to meeting the highest principles of governmental budgeting.”

In order to receive the budget award, the Region had to satisfy nationally recognized guidelines for effective budget presentation. These guidelines assess how well a municipality’s budget serves as:

• ​policy document
• a financial plan
• an operations guide
• a communications device

“Congratulations are in order to the Financial Management and Planning department for receiving, yet again, this highest award in governmental budgeting,” said Niagara Regional Chair Jim Bradley.

He added that it means nothing is being hidden from the public – a recurring complaint with the 2014-2018 Regional Council.

“Transparency and responsible policy in our financial practices is of the utmost importance to Regional Council. I would like to thank Regional staff for their commitment to working towards the highest standards in finance and budgeting.”