Oxford Receives Distinguished Budget Award for Fiscal Year 2025
By Janet Stoica
According to Town Manager Jennifer Callahan, the Government Finance Officers Association (“GFOA”) recently announced that Oxford, Massachusetts received the GFOA’s 2024 Distinguished Budget Presentation Award for its Fiscal Year 2025 Budget. This will be the fourth year in a row that Oxford has received this prestigious commendation. This award represents a significant achievement and commitment of town staff to meeting the highest principles of governmental budgeting.
In order to receive the budget award, Oxford had to satisfy nationally recognized guidelines for effective budget presentation. The guidelines are designed to assess how well a community’s budget serves as a policy document, a financial plan, an operations guide, and a communications device.
“This award is a testament to all of our dedication towards sound financial management and transparency. I want to thank our Finance Director Katie McKenna for working with me and all of the boards, committees, and department heads that contribute to developing the Fiscal Year 2025 budget document. To attain this international award four years in a row is no small feat of accomplishment,” said Town Manager Jennifer Callahan.
Town Manager Callahan further stated, “This professional independent review has allowed Oxford to move its quality indicators for budget development through adoption significantly forward. It also reflects a solid commitment to balancedbudgeting and implementation of best strategic financial management practices.”
To be deemed worthy of the award, budget documents must excel in all four major categories and in the fourteen mandatory criteria within those categories. This stringent evaluation process ensures that only the most proficient entities are recognized.
The Budget Awards Program has over 1,700 participants. The most recent Award recipients and their corresponding budget documents are posted quarterly on GFOA’s website. Award recipients have pioneered efforts to improve the quality of budgeting and provided an excellent example for other governments throughout North America.
Government Finance Officers Association advances excellence in government finance by providing best practices, professional development, resources, and practical research for more than 22,500 members and the communities they serve.
