The City of Fremont has received the Government Finance Officers Association's Distinguished Budget Presentation Award for its annual operating budget for fiscal year 2012/13.

The award represents a significant achievement by the City of Fremont. It reflects the commitment of the Fremont City Council and City staff to meeting the highest principles of governmental budgeting. In order to receive the budget award, the City had to satisfy nationally recognized guidelines for effective budget presentation. These guidelines are designed to assess how well a City's budget serves as:

Budget documents must be rated "proficient" in all four categories, as well as in the 14 mandatory criteria within those categories, to receive the award.

"This recognition is aligned with the City's commitment to transparency in our financial reporting, and the award is a tribute to our fiscal acumen," said City Manager Fred Diaz. "Our budget documents are easy to read and provide the public with detailed information on how the City spends taxpayer dollars."

Fremont is one of only 1,300 government entities nationwide to receive this award out of 89,000. According to the Government Finance Officers Association, award recipients have pioneered efforts to improve the quality of budgeting and provide an excellent example for other governments throughout North America.