Merriam recently won a national award for its annual finance report’s transparency and easy-to-read format.

The City received the Government Finance Officers Association’s Award for Outstanding Achievement in Popular Annual Financial Reporting (PAFR). The PAFR informs citizens about the City’s financial activity in a short-form design.

This was Merriam’s third submission and third time winning, where, nationwide, fewer than 400 organizations have earned the award. The award is granted for reports that conform to standards of creativity, presentation, understandability, and reader appeal.

For 2016, reviewers commented favorably on the City’s:

• layout and design of the report.
• use of chart and graphs to make it easy for readers to interpret data.
• traceability of information.
• short, to the point analysis.
• effort to inform the public about availability.

“I’m please the City has earned the PAFR award for its 2016 report,” said Cindy Ehart, Merriam’s finance director. “This prestigious national award signifies that the current report conforms to the highest of standards. It’s the product of a collaboration between finance and communications staff.”

The City also won the GFOA’s Award for Outstanding Achievement in PAFR in 2014 and 2015.

View the 2016 PAFR.