"the People's Paths!" Cherokee News Path - Cherokee Nation Receives Finance Award

For the eighth year in a row, the Cherokee Nation has won the prestigious Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting by the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada for its comprehensive annual financial report.

TAHLEQUAH, Oklahoma – For the eighth year in a row, the Cherokee Nation has been awarded the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting by the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada for its comprehensive annual financial report.

“This award represents excellence in governmental accounting," said Chad Smith, Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation. "This award has been given to only three tribal governments throughout the United States. It was necessary for the Cherokee Nation to have clean audits, budgets on time, and systems which reflected financial integrity."

The reports were judged by an impartial panel to meet high standards of the program, including demonstrating a constructive “spirit of full disclosure” to clearly communicate the financial story of the government and to motivate groups to read the report.

The Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting (CAFR Program) was established in 1945 by the Government Financial Officers Association to recognize and encourage excellence in financial reporting by state and local governments. Every year more than 3,000 government annual reports are submitted to the program's review committee. They are then reviewed and checked to see if all the criteria have been met to qualify for this award. The criterion includes local significance and value, technical significance, transferability, documentation, the cost/benefit analysis, efficiency, originality and durability.