Southington Awarded for Excellence in Financial Reporting by GFOA

The Town of Southington has been awarded the ‘Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting’ by the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) of the U.S. and Canada.

A letter to Southington Town Manager, Garry Brumback, from GFOA’s  Director of the Technical Services Center, Stephen J. Gauthier, stated: “This Certificate of Achievement is the highest form of recognition in the area of governmental accounting and financial reporting; its attainment represents a significant accomplishment by a government and its management.”  

Gauthier added: “The Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, (CAFR), has been judged by an impartial panel to meet the high standards of the program including demonstrating a constructive spirit of full disclosure to clearly communicate its financial story and motivate potential users and user groups to read the CAFR.” GFOA is a nonprofit professional association with offices in Chicago and Washington, DC, serving approximately 17,500 government finance professionals.  

Photo at right:
Staff of Finance Department, Town of Southington awarded certificate for Excellence in Financial Reporting.

Front-L to R:  Deborah Landry; Emilia Portelinha, Director; Joyce Williams: Back – Jackie Santos-Villegas; Carol Ladd; Christina Sivigny-Smith. Assistant Director. Not in photo: Susan Mesinger 

Brumback commented: "The award is a tribute to Emilia Portelinha, (Director of Finance), for her skills of leadership, and to her staff.  They illustrate the teamwork and interdependency with all our department heads who meet regularly, synergizing their collective efforts.”                                   

Portelinha said: “We are all most grateful for this award which is due to the combined efforts of the staff in every way, especially in the preparation of the detailed and complex CAFR.”

Board of Finance Chairman, John Leary, said: “The entire town should take pride in the accomplishments of our Finance Department.  For 24 consecutive years the Southington Finance Department has gone beyond the minimum requirements and provided the town with comprehensive annual financial reports that evidence transparency and full disclosure of our finances. Excellence has become the standard for Southington.”

Finance Deapartment's Wall of Plaques covering 24 years for excellence in Financial Reporting.  Twenty-one individual plaques on the wall and three more placed on the plaque on the table including the annual diamonds. 

As published in the Southington Citizen, August 14, 2015