KNOXVILLE - Once again and for more than half a decade, Knox County achieved the highest honor in the arena of governmental accounting and finance reporting – winning what is considered the rare “triple crown” for finance departments across the country.

The Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) recently recognized the county for receiving all three of its awards:

• The Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting Award (29 straight years)
• Distinguished Budget Presentation Award (30 consecutive years in a row)
• Popular Annual Financial Reporting Award (Six years in a row – or every year the department has participated.)

GFOA, a non-profit founded in 1906, studies and reviews the planning, financing, and implementation of more than 21,000 checkpoints of governmental operations throughout the U.S. and Canada. Knox County is one of about 300 governments to receive the honor.

GFOA analyzed every aspect of the files from cover to cover of the previous year’s county reports. Each of the reports adhered to every applicable accounting standard in effect by the Governmental Accounting Standards Board. They also grade on reader appeal and understandability.

Michele Mark Levine, a GFOA director, presented the county with a Triple Crown medallion that is “a testament to the government’s commitment to producing annual reports that evidence the spirit of full disclosure and transparency.”

Knox County Chief Financial Officer Chris Caldwell noted that the achievement was made possible only by the “dedicated service of the Department of Finance. He singled out Perry Benshoof, Jennifer Bodie, Jeff Clark, Susan Johnson, Amber Knight, Cody Taylor, Nicholas Wilson, and Melanie Wilck for going “above and beyond the call of duty to design and generate” the reports.

Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs again called the finance department one of the “best in the state, and its members once again proved just how good they are.”