Milestones for GFOA's CAFR, budget programs.

• Position: News & Numbers - Government Finance Officers Association - Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting

The GFOA's Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting program has reached a major milestone--4,000 submissions. It's an impressive rate of growth, up from 800 submissions 20 years ago. This achievement is not just a proud achievement for the GFOA, but also an exceptional attainment for the many jurisdictions that demonstrate their commitment to going beyond the minimum requirements of generally accepted accounting principles and preparing comprehensive annual financial reports that evidence the spirit of transparency and full disclosure.

The City of Ketchikan, Alaska, was No. 4,000, for the fiscal year ending 2012. Ketchikan is a continuing participant; its first submission was for fiscal year end 1971. Since then, the city has received the CAFR award 35 times.

The Distinguished Budget Presentation Awards Program also hit a recent milestone: 1,400 submissions. That's up from 200 in 1984. The GFOA congratulates all the jurisdictions that have proven their dedication to preparing budget documents of the very highest quality that reflect both the guidelines established by the National Advisory Council on State and Local Budgeting and the GFOA's best practices on budgeting.

THE CAFR PROGRAM

The CAFR program has a high rate of participation by medium to large cities, counties, and the states.

Approximately 94 percent of cities, municipalities, villages, and townships with populations of more than 200,000 participate; 78.6 percent of cities with populations of more than...