The Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA) has recognized the DC Water and Sewer Authority’s (DC WASA) 2009 budget presentation with the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award for 2009. This is the ninth straight year that DC WASA’s Finance Department has won this prestigious award. In addition, the Authority has won the GFOA Award for Financial Reporting, presented each September, for 11 consecutive years and has received an unqualified audit for 12 years running.

The GFOA budget award “reflects the commitment of [DC WASA’s] governing body and staff to meeting the highest principles of governmental budgeting.” The nationally recognized guidelines assess how well an organization’s budget serves as:

• a policy document
• a financial plan
• an operations guide
• a communications device

Commenting on the announcement, Olu Adebo, DC WASA Chief Financial Officer, said, “At DC WASA, we place great emphasis on financial planning. Critical infrastructure upgrades, along with federally mandated environmental projects, make up a large portion of our capital budget. We are continually balancing the needs of tomorrow with today’s funding, with an eye to operating efficiency and keeping rate increases predictable and gradual. This award confirms our processes, budgeting, financial integrity, our communication with stakeholders and our due diligence.”

The results of an Independent Comprehensive Budget Review in 2008 bear out the strengths of DC WASA’s financial planning, which led the reviewers to conclude that the Authority is not only “doing things right (being efficient) but also dong the right things (being effective).”

This year, in addition to the standard operating and capital budget documents, DC WASA created a supplementary 40-page Budget in Brief. Said Yvette Downs, DC WASA’s Director of Budget and Finance, “We created the Budget in Brief as a communication tool specifically for stakeholders outside the financial industry.” GFOA recognized the condensed budget document. Added Downs, “The Budget in Brief also reflects the current economic climate. We devoted both visual presentations and explanation to the need for rate increases, comparisons to other jurisdictions and the Customer Assistance Programs available to DC WASA customers.”

Note: The budget documents and Independent Comprehensive Budget Review are available at www.dcwasa.com.

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About The District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority
The District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority (DC WASA) is an industry-leading authority of District government that provides drinking water and wastewater collection and treatment for a population of more than 500,000 in the District of Columbia. DC WASA also treats wastewater for a population of 1.6 million in Montgomery and Prince Georges counties in Maryland, and Fairfax and Loudoun counties in Virginia. The Authority operates the world’s largest advanced wastewater treatment plant, with a capacity of 370 million gallons per day and a peak daily capacity of more than a billion gallons. DC WASA’s service area covers approximately 725 square miles.

About the Government Finance Officers Association
The Government Finance Officers Association is a nonprofit professional association serving more than 17,600 government finance professionals throughout North America. The GFOA’s Distinguished Budget Presentation Awards Program is the only national awards program in governmental budgeting.