Hays County Awarded Excellence In Financial Reporting

County Auditor’s Office Garners 2nd Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting

Hays County, TX – For the second year in a row, the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA) has awarded the Hays County Auditor’s Office a Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting for its comprehensive annual financial report (CAFR).

This year, First Assistant Auditor Marisol Villarreal-Alonzo was specifically named recipient for spearheading the process that garnered the award. Villarreal-Alonzo will take charge of the Auditor’s Office October 1, following County Auditor Bill Herzog’s retirement. The Auditor’s Office received the award last year for FY’14.

“The entire staff worked hard for this award,” Villarreal-Alonzo said. “It was a team effort.”

The Certificate of Achievement is the highest form of recognition for government accounting and financial reporting, and its attainment represents a significant accomplishment by a government and its management, according to the GFOA. Financial officers from all over the country review the CAFR reports in 17 specific categories and decide on its merits.

The CAFR is judged by an impartial panel to meet the high standards of the program, including demonstrating a constructive “spirit of full disclosure” to clearly communicate its financial story and motivate potential users and user groups to read the CAFR. The GFOA, with offices in Chicago and Washington, D.C., is a nonprofit professional association serving some 17,500 government professionals.