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By WILLIAM MARLOW | Special to the Reporter

ALABASTER – On Thursday, Jan. 6, the city of Alabaster received an international award for both financial reporting and making the city’s public documents readily available and accessible to the public.

The Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada specifically awarded the city with a Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting.

According to city of Alabaster Public Relations Manager Neal Wagner, this marks the fourth-consecutive year the city has earned this prestigious honor.

“This honor is indicative of the Finance Department’s dedication to transparency and accountability, which is something that greatly benefits Alabaster residents,” Wagner said. “We’re all incredibly proud of John [Haggard] and his staff for earning this recognition for the past four years.”

The report is judged by an impartial panel to meet the high standards of the program and specifically recognizes local, state or national governments that are dedicated to government transparency and public accountability.

This includes demonstrating a constructive “spirit of full disclosure” and clearly communicating its financial story to citizens and motivating the public to read the report.

Wagner particularly highlighted the efforts of the city’s finance department and Finance Director John Haggard in achieving the recognition.

The Alabaster Finance Department has constructed the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report after each of the past several fiscal years to clearly recap the city’s financial position to the community.

Haggard said the award represents a significant accomplishment by a government and its management and is the highest form of recognition in governmental accounting and financial reporting.

“We are very proud to meet the requirements to win this GFOA award,” he said. “The award signifies the city’s commitment to providing the best possible financial information to the public.”

The 2020 fiscal year report is available at Cityofalabaster.com/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/241.