ANNA (October 15, 2014) For the fourth year in a row, Anna earns the highest award level possible that recognizes municipalities that go beyond the basic of financial reporting. The City of Anna has been awarded the Platinum Circle Leadership Award for the from the Texas State Comptroller’s Office for Financial Transparency. The City earned the rating by scoring a 21 of 22 possible points of the Comptroller’s criteria.
“Once again the City of Anna has been recognized by the State Comptroller’s Office as a city that is ‘setting the bar with their transparency efforts’ “said Clayton Fulton, City of Anna Finance Director. “We are grateful to the state for this recognition and are committed to a future of financial transparency” continued Fulton.
The Comptroller’s transparency initiative was set up to help taxpayers know where their money is going. According to the comptroller’s website, “We're tracking just how transparent cities, counties, school districts and other special districts across the state are with your hard-earned dollars. Texas Comptroller Susan Combs recommends that all local governments implement financial transparency by posting three key financial documents online: 1. the annual budget, 2. the annual financial report, and 3. the check register. The Comptroller Leadership Circle encourages and applauds local governments across Texas that have focused on giving taxpayers a transparent look at local expenditures.” (http://www.texastransparency.org/local/index.php)
The City of Anna has made several advancements in its transparency efforts. “The City regularly provides its monthly financial information including our annual budget and audit online. We provide this information on our website to make it readily available 24/7 so that citizens can see our financial information anytime they want” said Fulton.