FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE For the 37th year, the City of Springfield's Finance Department, headed by Director Mary Mannix Decker, has earned a Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting from the Government Finance Officers Association for its comprehensive annual financial report. The GFOA established the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting Program (CAFR Program) in 1945 to encourage and assist state and local governments to go beyond the minimum requirements of generally accepted accounting principles to prepare comprehensive annual financial reports that evidence the spirit of transparency and full disclosure and then to recognize individual governments that succeed in achieving that goal. Reports submitted to the CAFR program are reviewed by selected members of the GFOA professional staff and the GFOA Special Review Committee (SRC), which comprises individuals with expertise in public-sector financial reporting and includes financial statement preparers, independent auditors, academics, and other finance professionals. "It is an truly an honor for the Finance Department to receive this award for the 37th consecutive year. This award demonstrates the City of Springfield’s commitment to financial transparency," Decker said. # # # For more information, contact City Finance Director Mary Mannix Decker at 417-864-1399.