The award is presented by the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada.

The award “is for our 2019 annual report, and it is the highest form of recognition in the area of governmental accounting and it represents a significant accomplishment for our government and management,” city Treasurer Anna Soik said.

Each year, the city compiles a report that not only outlines the city’s budget, but also breaks down other information, such as law enforcement statistics, tax rates, property values, and other critical information about Alpena.

Soik said the data is collected by her staff and the city’s auditing firm.

News Photo by Steve Schulwitz Alpena Clerk/Treasurer Anna Soik shows off the 26th Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting awards the city has earned.

She said it is a way to be transparent and makes it easy for people to learn about the city.

Soik said the city is not required to compile a comprehensive report, but it chooses to do so each year so it is simple for people to get a complete snapshot of the city’s financial condition.

She said it is also a good tool people who are considering moving to Alpena or looking to develop here can use when doing research.

“It’s lengthy, but very useful, and it has a lot of good information in it,” she said. “It has housing data, law enforcement data, and about everything people may need to know about.”

Steve Schulwitz can be reached at 989-358-5689 at sschulwitz@thealpenanews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ss_alpenanews.com.