Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/218481
Sarasota News Leader November 29, 2013 Page 75 • The city's "relatively strong financial posi- Additionally, the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada tion is expected to remain healthy." honored the Finance Department with the • "Management's awareness of pension lia- Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in bility and meaningful efforts to address it." Financial Reporting for the department's 2012 • The city's strong reserve levels have Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the release points out. "allowed significant financial flexibility." "The award is the highest form of recognition • The city's "aggressive responses" during within governmental accounting and financial the economic downturn (including workreporting," said City Manager Tom Barwin force reductions and program cuts). in the release. "This is the 32nd consecutive "The affirmation of the city's bond rating year the City of Sarasota has been honored reflects the city's commitment to fiscal sus- with this award, which speaks highly to our tainability and the willingness of the [City] legacy of high quality fiscal management and Commission to address the tough fiscal issues talented dedicated staff," he added. head-on during one of the most challenging Nearly 17,000 government finance professioneconomic periods in recent memory," said als are served by the Government Finance Officers Association. Finance Director John Lege in the release. SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES WORKSHOP SET FOR DEC. 18 Sarasota County has announced that its 2013 Sustainable Communities Workshop will take place on Wednesday, Dec. 18, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Girl Scouts of Gulfcoast Florida Event and Conference Center, located at 4780 Cattlemen Road in Sarasota. "This popular interactive workshop draws leaders from industry, government and university programs" to share their expertise and strategies for achieving a more sustainable future through job creation and community building programs and innovation, the release continues. "From alternative transportation The workshop is open to professional plan- and ecotourism to the future of the built environment, the workshop will highlight national ners, builders and developers, engineers, trends as well as local successes." architects and landscape architects, small business owners and government represen- Of particular note this year is the workshop's tatives, as well as residents, homeowners, focus on green business practices and buildneighborhood associations and community ing resilience in local food supplies, the release says. advocates, a news release points out. Keynote speaker Carol Peppe Hewitt will disRegistration is $30 for professionals and the cuss Financing our Foodshed: Rethinking general public ($20 for students); it includes How We Pay for our Food. Hewitt is an author, a continental breakfast, lunch and refresh- business owner, social entrepreneur and a ments during an afternoon break. pioneer in the Slow Money movement, the