Budget Badge of Honor: 2024 Spending Plan Recognized Nationally

Photo of person sitting in from of computer screen displaying bar charts.

Mecklenburg County has been recognized for its Fiscal Year 2023-2024 budget. The Office of Management and Budget was awarded the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award from the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA), which advances excellence in government finance. 

The Distinguished Budget Presentation Award reflects the commitment of Mecklenburg County leadership and staff to meet the highest principles of governmental budgeting. This year marks the 34th straight year that the Office of Management and Budget has received the honor. 

To receive the award, Mecklenburg County must 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. 
  • a communications device. 

Budget documents must be rated "proficient" in all four categories, and in 14 mandatory criteria within those categories, to receive the award. There are more than 1,700 participants in the awards program. 

“Even though we have received this recognition many times, many organizations have never received it,” said Adrian Cox, Mecklenburg County budget director. “Every year presents new challenges, and achieving the award takes tremendous effort from our team and our leadership, plus contributions from the Finance Department, Office of Strategic Planning and Evaluation, and staff across the government who help develop our spending plan.” 

In addition, Mecklenburg County received special recognition for the budget process and for strategic goals and strategies. Special recognition is given when all three reviewers give the highest possible score in particular categories. 

The Government Finance Officers Association established the Distinguished Budget Presentation Awards Program in 1984 to inspire state and local governments to prepare high-quality budget documents that reflect the guidelines of the National Advisory Council on State and Local Budgeting and the GFOA's best practices on budgeting. The association designates individuals who have experience in public-sector budgeting to review each document that is submitted to the Budget Awards Program.

Mecklenburg County’s FY2023-2024 budget can be viewed or downloaded at Budget.MeckNC.gov.