New Bedford Receives National Budget Award for Sixth Consecutive Year

The City of New Bedford has been awarded the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award for the sixth consecutive year, for its fiscal year 2021 budget, by the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA).

The award represents a continued collaborative achievement by the City, across departments, and reflects the City’s ongoing efforts to maintain high standards for all business operations.

“New Bedford’s sixth consecutive award affirms our fundamental dedication to better managing city finances and increasing transparency,” Mayor Jon Mitchell said. “I am grateful to the City Council, our city finance team led by Interim Chief Financial Officer Michael Gagne, and all of our department heads for the teamwork it takes to make this happen.”

Examples of initiatives designed to make city government more accessible and transparent include New Bedford Open Checkbook, a searchable online database of the City of New Bedford’s accounts payable activity that is open to the public, and program performance measurement and fiscal policies adopted by the Mayor and City Council.

According to GFOA: “The award represents a significant achievement by the [City]. It reflects the commitment of the governing body and staff to meet the highest principles of governmental budgeting. In order to receive the budget award, the [City] had to satisfy nationally recognized guidelines for effective budget presentation. These guidelines are designed to assess how well an entity’s budget serves as a policy document, financial plan, operations guide, and communications device.”

The GFOA was founded in 1906 and has a membership of more than 20,000 public finance officials across the U.S. and Canada.

“I thank the finance team and all the City employees who made this sixth Distinguished Budget Presentation Award possible,” Gagne said. “New Bedford will continue to improve our business operations by keeping the City’s focus on efficiency and transparency for the benefit of all residents.”