The city of Bellevue’s Finance Department was recognized for preparing an annual financial report that clearly describes how the city spends its money.

The city earned its 27th consecutive Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting for producing a readable 2008 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report that is efficiently organized according to accepted accounting principles.

Washington law requires that Bellevue publish a financial report each year, in addition to any budgets. The award was issued by the Government Finance Officers Association, a nonprofit professional association serving approximately 16,000 government finance professionals in the U.S. and Canada.