Local water officials earned high marks for their fiscally prudent budgeting this week.

Santa Clarita Water (SCWD), a division of the Castaic Lake Water Agency (CLWA), received the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award and the Operating Budget Excellence Award for its FY 2016/17 budget.

The Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA) awarded the local division for its budget presentation, and the California Society of Municipal Finance Officers (CSMFO) recognized them for operating budget excellence.

“Accountability to the public, our ratepayers, starts with clear annual budget document and related financial reporting,” said CLWA General Manager Matt Stone. “I commend our budget team for their excellent efforts with the FY 2016/17 budget.”

To receive the GFOA award, the budget document must be rated as “proficient” in categories that show how well the document serves as a policy document, financial plan and more. This is the sixth consecutive year in which the Santa Clarita Water Division has received this award.

Elizabeth Ooms-Graziano, retail administrative officer for SCWD, received a certificate of recognition for budget presentation for being primarily responsible for preparing the award-winning budget.

The GFOA is a professional association that provides publications, training programs and more designed to build on the skills and performance of those responsible for government finance policy and management. The GFOA’s Distinguished Budget Presentation Awards Program is the only national awards program in governmental budgeting.

The CSMFO Budget Awards Program is designed to recognize those agencies that have prepared a budget document that meets standards that include proficient scores in different budgeting categories. This recent win makes it the sixth consecutive year for the Santa Clarita Water Division to be awarded the CSMFO recognition.

CSMFO is California’s leading statewide association for finance professionals, with chapters located throughout the state.

The Santa Clarita Water Division’s budget and other financial documents can be found here.