Staff told the committee that Des Moines earned the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) Distinguished Budget Presentation award for the recent budget, describing the GFOA program’s 25 criteria and independent review process.

“The way it works is there's an independent panel of three separate reviewers… To earn recognition, budget documents must meet program criteria and excel as a policy document, financial plan, operations guide, and communication tool,” staff said. The city received a proficient score (3 of 4) on this first submission, staff said.

Reviewers identified areas for improvement, primarily linking department goals and performance measures to an overarching strategic plan. Staff said the city plans to include strategic goals and performance measures in the next budget cycle to align the document and maintain the award.

Committee members congratulated staff and asked that the packet for future review clearly show edits and improvements (for example, redlines) to make differences easier for council to evaluate. Committee members also encouraged staff to use GFOA resources and noted training and conference material available through the association.

No formal committee action was recorded; staff said they will continue improving budget document content and performance reporting ahead of the next submission.