The City of Detroit receives distinguished budget award from the Government Finance Officers Association for the first time in 11 years

• GFOA Distinguished Budget Presentation Award reflects Detroit’s commitment to the “highest principles of governmental budgeting”
• Detroit last received the GFOA budget award in 2012
• The City’s award-winning budget can be found on the Office of Budget’s webpage, detroitmi.gov/budget

The City of Detroit’s Office of Budget has received the Government Finance Officers Association’s Distinguished Budget Presentation Award for its Fiscal Year 2024 Budget.  This GFOA award reflects national best practices in planning and communication and is granted to state and local governments across the country.  Detroit has not received the award since 2012, and its return is a significant City achievement recognizing “the commitment of the governing body and staff to meet the highest principles of governmental budgeting.”

“We are proud to resume receiving the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award from GFOA. The Budget team is committed to accurately reflecting the City’s financial and policy priorities in a transparent, accessible, and thorough annual Budget document. This would not have been possible without the strong leadership and collaborative partnership of the Mayor, City Council, Legislative Policy Division, Office of the Chief Financial Officer, and all the departments Citywide that participate in the Budget process,” said Steve Watson, Deputy Chief Financial Officer, Budget Director.

To receive the budget award, Detroit 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, a financial plan, an operations guide, and a communication.

Budget documents must receive a "proficient" rating in all four categories, and in the fourteen mandatory criteria within those categories, to receive the award. When a Distinguished Budget Presentation Award is granted, a Certificate of Recognition for Budget Presentation is also presented.

There are over 1,700 participants in the Budget Awards Program. The most recent Budget Award recipients, along with their corresponding budget documents, are posted quarterly on GFOA's website.

“Award recipients have pioneered efforts to improve the quality of budgeting and provide an excellent example for other governments throughout North America,” said GFOA officials.

As is customary, the Award certificate for Fiscal Year 2024 will appear in the Mayor's Recommended Annual Budget for Fiscal Year 2025 when it is presented to the Detroit City Council in March 2024.

In September and October, the budget team held its Annual Public Budget Meetings and Budget Priorities Forums in all seven City Council districts. The Mayor will propose his Recommended Annual Budget for Fiscal Year 2025 on or before March 7, 2024. You can view all budget documents at www.detroitmi.gov/budget.