Saratoga Springs wins 'distinguished budget' 14th year in a row

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Budgeting can be a source of stress for many, but the city of Saratoga Springs seems to be breezing through it, winning a "distinguished budget" award again this year, for the fourteenth year in a row.

City officials announced Wednesday it was awarded the "Distinguished Budget Presentation Award" from the Government Finance Officers Association for the fourteenth consecutive time.

"We're just really proud and really excited. My boss set (the award) as a goal for us to do, to keep us at a high bar on the budget process and so it's just part of the job," Saratoga Springs budget administrator Spencer Quain said.

Members of the organization submit city budgets for feedback and evaluation, with the chance of winning awards. The association is made of people who do financial work in local, state or other government bodies around the world.

Saratoga Spring's finance department had to satisfy nationally recognized guidelines for effective budget presentation, as well as ensure the budget serves as a policy document, financial plan, operations guide and communications device. The budget documents are peer-reviewed and rated, and must be graded "proficient" or "outstanding" in all four categories and 14 mandatory criteria within those categories to be awarded.

Every year, Quain and his boss work hard to meet the criteria and provide budgeting transparency to residents. He said he is grateful for the opportunity to receive feedback from the association so they can continue to improve the city's documented budget each year.

He explained the budget is a policy statement helping cities lay out priorities, categorize expenses for the coming year and the future and create a vision for what the city will do with its resources. The benchmarks set by the association help cities know what to shoot for and include in their budgets.

The budget document also communicates to the public how and where the city is spending money. Receiving the award consistently is a significant achievement, Quain said.

"It shows to the public that we are meeting and having that high bar we are holding ourselves to," he said. "We're proud we got it once again. It's validating to be able to have somebody outside the organization look at your work and tell you that you've done a good job."

Over the next few months, the finance department will start evaluating priorities for the next budget year, which begins July 1, and present a tentative budget to the City Council at the beginning of May.

And the goal, Quain said, is to continue getting the distinguished budget award every year. "So far, we're doing great!"

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