By KAROLYN GEPHART
At the City Council meeting July 6 2020 at City Hall, two groups were presented awards.
The first award was the presentation of the 17th Consecutive Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) Distinguished Budget Presentation Award by Phyllis Rinehart, Controller for the City of La Porte.
Rinehart, representing the Gulf Coast Government Finance Officers Association and Government Finance Officers Association of Texas, presented the award for the Fiscal Year 2019-20 budget.
The award represents a significant achievement by the City. It reflects the commitment of the governing body and staff to meeting the highest principles of governmental budgeting.
In order to receive the budget award, the City had to satisfy nationally recognized guidelines for effective budget presentation.
Budget documents must be rated “proficient” by serving as 1) a policy document, 2) a financial plan, 3) an operations guide and 4) a communications device.
This is the 17th consecutive year the City has received this award. The following staff members were recognized for their efforts: Katina Hampton (Director of Administrative Services), Rhonda Bloskas (Deputy Director of Administrative Services – Finance), Jennifer Walker (Budget Manager) and Emily Peltier (Financial Analyst).
The Budget Team, and the entire Administrative Services Department were also recognized and thanked.
The second award was given to Friendswood’s EMS.
For the fourth consecutive year, Friendswood’s EMS has achieved the American Heart Association’s 2020 Mission: Lifeline EMS Gold Plus recognition for prehospital personnel.
They are the first providers of care to patients suffering from a STEMI heart attack and are an integral part of the STEMI system of care impacting the overall care and outcome of the patient.
This achievement illustrates a commitment to providing guidelines-based care while meeting high standards of performance, according to City officials.