The City of Sugar Land strives for an open and transparent budget process, with a goal of education along with public participation in the process. The end result each year is a budget document called the Annual Budget and Program of Services. The budget document can be found on the City's website once it is filed by the City Manager, along with information relating to the City Council budget workshops and property tax process.
The City of Sugar Land has been recognized for excellence in financial stewardship and transparency with receipt of the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award for the Fiscal Year 2018 Annual Budget from the Government Finance Officers Association. This is the only national awards program in governmental budgeting.
The award represents a significant achievement by the City, representing the commitment of the City Council and staff to meeting the highest principles of governmental budgeting. The award applies for the fiscal year 2017-2018 budget for the period October 1, 2017 through September 30, 2018.
Incorporating the annexation of New Territory and Greatwood along with the budget reductions made in October 2017, the FY2018 budget document covers all the major points of interest for this fiscal year, documenting the budget process and results along with explanations. The City has 90 days after the budget is approved to submit the budget document to GFOA for consideration for this program.
In order to receive this award, the budget has to satisfy nationally recognized guidelines for effective budget presentation. These guidelines are designed to assess how well the City’s budget serves as:
- A policy document,
- A financial plan,
- An operations guide, and
- A communication device.
The budget must be rated by independent evaluators as “proficient” in all four categories along with meeting or exceeding fourteen mandatory criteria to receive the award.
The fiscal year 2017-2018 budget is the 22nd consecutive year for the City of Sugar Land to receive this award.