RFP Staff
♦ The Distinguished Budget Presentation Award posted on the City Budget for 2015-2016 is virtually meaningless. Just about every city that pays their dues to the Government Finance Officers Association gets one. The award says nothing about the actual budget and its soundness. The award is all about presentation.
On page 3 of the City Budget for 2015-2016, the City Manager Lane Bailey has inserted a page showing his Distinguished Budget Presentation Award, as issued by the Government Finance Officers Association. https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B2E5Ew6OLdElOXcxdUVrRWQ5TTQ/edit
It almost looks impressive. We did a bit of research on the award, and found the following link:
http://www.gfoa.org/distinguished-budget-presentation-awards-program-budget-awards-program-2
From the Association’s award page, “To receive the award, a budget document must be rated either proficient or outstanding by at least two of the three reviewers for all four basic categories, as well as for 14 of the 27 specific criteria identified as “mandatory”.”
So in order to get the award, “Magic Math” Salisbury only needs to pay their dues to join, get a minimal rating of “proficient” by 2 out of 3 reviewers for each of four basic categories, and then get at least a proficient rating on 14 of 27 of the “mandatory” criteria? So a city can be “distinguished” if they score 51.8% on the “mandatory” criteria? Even this state’s public school students must have better scores on mandatory subjects in order to pass the grade—let alone to consider themselves “distinguished”.
What does the award tell Salisbury’s constituents? Maybe that Salisbury paid their dues to the GFOA, and that 2/3 of their judges found that Salisbury scored at least 51.8% on mandatory budget criteria.
Ah the sweet smell of B.S.
