For two decades, Washington has been a recipient of a Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting.

The award, from the Government Finance Officers Association of the U.S. and Canada, is the highest form of recognition in governmental accounting and financial reporting. The award is for fiscal year 2014, which ended June 30, 2014.

The long-running streak began under Carol Williams, a former chief financial officer for the city. Matt Rauschenbach, the current chief financial officer, continues the streak. Rauschenbach and Williams have credited the city’s finance staff for doing most of the work that has led to 19 consecutive awards.

“To receive the prestigious national award of certificate of achievement in financial reporting excellence the City has published an easily readable and efficiently organized comprehensive annual financial report (CAFR) that satisfied both Generally Acceptable Accounting Principles and applicable legal requirements,” Rauschenbach wrote in an email. “The City has earned this award 20 consecutive years from 1996 through 2015. This award is achieved as a result of an excellent finance staff led by Assistant Finance Director, Tammy Swindell, conscientious Departmental staff, along with the Manager and City Council’s support.”

The CAFR program was initiated in 1945 to encourage and assist local and state governments to go beyond the minimum accepted accounting principles to prepare comprehensive annual financial reports that evidence the spirit of transparency and full disclosure and recognized governments that succeed in meeting that goal. To be awarded a CAFR, a government must publish an easily readable and efficiently organized comprehensive annual financial report. Earning the award is not as simple as applying for it. CAFR recipients must meet specific, stringent standards established by the Government Finance Officers Association of the U.S. and Canada.

The goal of the program is not to assess the financial health of participating governments, but rather to ensure that users of their financial statements have the information they need to do so themselves, according to the GFAO website.

Washington is one of 86 municipalities in North Carolina to receive the award this year. The city is one of 329 municipalities with populations of less than 10,000 people to receive the award. There are 31,656 municipalities that could be eligible for a CAFR, meaning Washington is in the 1.04 percent of those 31,656 municipalities to receive awards this year.