The Catskill Chronicle

Dear Editor

I am very proud to announce that a Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting has been awarded to the County of Sullivan Treasurer’s Department by the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA) for my office’s comprehensive annual financial report (CAFR) for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2011 (which was prepared in 2012).

This is not the first time that we have received this high honor from the GFOA, which is a nonprofit professional association serving approximately 17,500 governments and officials in the US and Canada.  The Sullivan County Treasurer’s Department has in fact been awarded this prestigious award for the past several years to the Sullivan County Treasurer’s Department, which is primarily responsible for preparing the award-winning financial report.

There is a significant amount of daily work that county departments are required to perform in terms of the professional financial management process.  The Certificate of Achievement is the highest form of recognition in the area of governmental accounting and financial reporting and is a significant accomplishment to receive from the GFOA.

The CAFR was judged by an impartial panel to meet the high standards of the program including demonstrating "a constructive spirit of full disclosure" to clearly communicate its financial story and motivate potential users and user groups to read the CAFR.

I would like to commend and thank my staff, as well as Josh Potosek, Acting County Manager/Commissioner of Management of Budget and his staff for their hard work, dedication, professionalism and mutual cooperation in joining together to manage and document the financial affairs of the County.  Their efforts have enabled Sullivan County to earn this prestigious award again.

Ira Cohen

Sullivan County Treasurer