Special to
L’Observateur

LAPLACE — The Government Finance Officers Association will present the St. John the Baptist Parish finance department a Distinguished Budget Presentation Award for St. John’s 2014 budget.

The award reflects the commitment of the governing body and staff to meeting the highest principles of governmental budgeting.

The budget was rated “proficient” in all four categories and the 14 mandatory criteria within those categories by the GFOA.

“This is a first award of this type for the parish, suggesting we are moving in the right direction; I could not be more proud of our team,” Parish President Natalie Robottom said.

“We remain committed to strengthening the parish’s financial position through a healthy budget, presented in a transparent format,” she added.

Vince Lucia, chief financial officer, received a Certificate of Recognition for Budget Presentation as the designated individual primarily responsible for the budget.

“I appreciate the hard work of our finance department and everyone who spent countless hours working on the budget and the budget presentation,” he said.