The District just received its 19th (in a row) Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) award for exceeding the standards in preparing our annual financial report. The GFOA is a prestigious national group that reviews and certifies quality financial statement preparation and presentation. It is quite an accomplishment, as less than 5% of governmental organizations qualify for this award. It takes year-long diligence and attention from our finance and accounting staff to prepare and provide these records! But after 19 years, we don’t know any better, or worse! We take it for granted, that is how we do things.
We just finished a 10-week EPA course on water distribution for approximately 17 of our newer employees. They completed the coursework, took the test, and will now take the EPA exam to secure their license. Most will pass, which will give us many more licensed operators to do this work in the county and our service area. This license will reflect their knowledge and capabilities and open doors for them to do this work here, there, or anywhere they may find themselves. We already have over 100 licensed operators, and we applaud them, but we take it for granted, that is how we do things here, all the time.
The District also was recognized by the Wood County Economic Development Commission last week as the county’s corporate citizen of the year. It was the first time a governmental unit with a small workforce such as us with 75 employees received such notice for our work in economic development, here in Wood County.
In accepting the award, I likened it to a “lifetime achievement” award as we have done this work and support every year, for the last 20-25 years by supplying support and attention to new development in our multi-county area. This generates new jobs and taxes and supports our local governments and schools. We’ve been really successful in this area in the last 10 years or so! It is how things get done here!
WHY SHOULD YOU CARE:
We set high standards in our record keeping, our finances, and our operations. This reflects efficient operations and maximum use of our resources such as our cash, labor, equipment, and knowledge. This capability and heightened awareness of otherwise mundane government operations is recognized by others and helps draw people here to a quality area for their business and their personal satisfaction. We hope it is what keeps you here too!
I’ve just mentioned three things that we do all the time here, providing quality financial affairs, completing EPA operator licensing, and supporting economic development efforts to secure new employers and taxpayers to this region. We feel good about these things, and you should too as it reflects a quality-of-life standard that you can count on, and very few local governments can boast about these things.
Jerry Greiner, President
May 2, 2023