The City of Foley is one of only five cities in Alabama to receive multiple national awards for excellence in financial reporting.

The Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) of the United States and Canada announced Thursday, Feb. 12, that the City of Foley Finance Department has received the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award. This marks the seventh consecutive year Foley has earned the recognition.

In addition, Foley has received the:

  • Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting for 12 years

  • Award for Outstanding Achievement in Popular Annual Financial Reporting six times

For six years, Foley has earned all three awards in the same year — a distinction often referred to as the “triple crown.”

Mayor Ralph Hellmich said the accomplishment places Foley among a select group of municipalities statewide.

“Of the 466 cities in Alabama, only five have received this significant triple crown award,” Hellmich said. “Foley is one of them and that’s really, really special for our city.”

Commitment to Transparency and Accountability

Mayor Hellmich said the awards reflect the dedication and extra effort city employees put into preparing Foley’s financial plans each year.

“It’s an incredible amount of work and time that they have to put in to do this,” Hellmich said. “All cities have to do an audit, but all cities don’t achieve this level of transparency and that’s what’s so important about it.”

He added that keeping citizens informed remains a top priority.

“I think that’s a really important aspect in this day and time with the citizens asking the council about it and everybody talking about government transparency,” Hellmich said. “I don’t know how much more transparent you can be.”

Finance Director Miranda Bell said the recognition reflects teamwork across the entire organization.

“It’s a city effort,” Bell said. “The budget process in general is not something we can do alone. You have to have buy-in from your elected officials and the administration and leadership and you need the support from the directors. You have to have cooperation from the bottom up.”

Meeting National Standards

In its announcement, the GFOA praised Foley for meeting the highest standards in governmental budgeting.

“It reflects the commitment of the governing body and staff to meeting the highest principles of governmental budgeting,” the GFOA statement said. “In order to receive the budget award, the entity had to satisfy nationally recognized guidelines for effective budget presentation.”

The guidelines evaluate how well a city’s budget functions as:

  • A policy statement

  • A financial plan

  • An operations guide

  • A communications device

To receive the award, Foley’s budget had to be rated “proficient” in all four categories and meet 14 mandatory criteria. More than 1,900 cities and other entities participate in the Budget Awards Program.

Continuing Disclosure Excellence

Foley was also recognized with a Certificate of Excellence for Continuing Disclosure Reporting from Digital Assurance Certification. The certificate confirms that the city has remained in full compliance with Securities and Exchange Commission disclosure rules for the past 11 years.

These recognitions highlight Foley’s continued commitment to transparency, accountability and responsible financial management on behalf of its residents.