DevLee

Auburn, Ala. – The Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA) has announced that the City of Auburn’s FY09 & FY10 Biennial Budget has received the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award. A formal presentation of the award will be made at an upcoming City Council meeting.

Budget reviewers were impressed with the wealth of information available in Auburn’s budget, noting that “this document does a wonderful job of explaining the budget, organization, and community. Some documents assume the reader knows what a Capital Improvement Plan is, or what a City Manager does, this document explains everything…” They went on to say, “Auburn presented extensive financial policies, their vision, mission…issues, priorities, and challenges that guided them in the budget development process.”

The GFOA’s Distinguished Budget Presentation Awards Program is the only national awards program in governmental budgeting. Auburn and Birmingham are the only two Alabama cities to receive the award on a consistent basis. A copy of the press release from GFOA is available on the City of Auburn’s website at www.auburnalabama.org.

Mayor Bill Ham, Jr. commented, “On behalf of the City Council, I would like to congratulate our City staff on this outstanding accomplishment. The City of Auburn is committed to running a fiscally sound government, and I believe this award signifies our continued commitment to providing a thorough and detailed account of our tax dollars. I would encourage citizens to visit our website so they can see first-hand the amount of work and detail that goes into our budget document.”

For more information, please visit www.auburnalabama.org/budget or contact the City of Auburn Finance Department at 501-7220.

City of Auburn Budget Information

Source: Auburn City Press Release

Auburn, Ala. – The City of Auburn’s Interactive Growth Model received the Outstanding Planning Award for a Project/Program/Tool at the 2009 Alabama Chapter of the American Planning Association’s (ALAPA) annual meeting, held March 25 – 27 in Orange Beach, AL. The award recognized the Auburn Interactive Growth Model (AIGM) as a “significant advancement to the cause of planning.” The consulting firm of Van Buskirk, Ryffel and Associates, Inc. was also recognized for their efforts in developing the model.
In October 2006, the Auburn City Council authorized a resolution to contract with Van Buskirk, Ryffel and Associates, Inc. to develop an interactive growth model that would assist City staff in their comprehensive planning efforts. The model is driven by population growth projections in five year increments to “build-out” (the point at which the City is fully developed), rather than traditional 10 – 25 year forecasts. Consultants worked in tandem with City departments to create a model that provides City decision-makers with an accurate picture of future growth in the City. In 2009, City staff will continue work on the City of Auburn Comprehensive Plan, known as CompPlan 2030. While the model is currently being used to help evaluate zoning applications and land use decisions, City staff fully expects to incorporate the model as part of its comprehensive planning process. For more information, please contact the City of Auburn Planning Department at 501-3040.