athens tn acfr fy2023

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shelter. The public works facility and fire training tower have been completed and the animal shelter and
road improvements are expected to be completed by June of 2024.

The City completed a strategic plan during the prior year. During February of each year, a planning
meeting is held with the City Council and the department heads to discuss needs of each department and
establish priorities for the coming year. The strategic plan will continue to guide the Council in setting
priorities for the next ten to twenty years.

Relevant Financial Policies

Revenue policies provide for the City to budget revenues conservatively so that the chance of a revenue
shortage during the year is remote. The City will review annually all fees and charges to assure that they
maintain their inflation-adjusted purchasing power. The City will make every effort to avoid becoming too
dependent on one source of revenue in order to minimize serious fluctuation in any year. The City will
consider market rates and rates of comparable cities in the region when changing tax rates, fees and charges.
In this regard, the City will make every effort to maintain its favorable comparative position with other
Tennessee cities which has contributed to our economic development success. A detailed multi-year revenue
trend analysis is utilized to assist in the budget process.

Awards and Acknowledgements

The Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA) awarded a
Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting to the City of Athens for its annual
comprehensive financial report for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2022. This was the thirty-first (31st)
consecutive year that the City has received this prestigious award. In order to be awarded a Certificate of
Achievement, a government must publish an easily readable and efficiently organized annual comprehensive
financial report. The report must satisfy both generally accepted accounting principles and applicable legal
requirements.

A Certificate of Achievement is valid for a period of one year only. We believe that our current
annual comprehensive financial report continues to meet the Certificate of Achievement program’s
requirements and we are submitting it to the GFOA to determine its eligibility for another certificate.

The preparation of this report was made possible by the dedicated service of the entire staff of the
finance department. Credit must also be given to the City Council for their unfailing support for
maintaining the highest standards of professionalism in the management of the City of Athens’ finances
and we express our sincere appreciation to our independent certified public accountants for their technical
expertise and assistance. Congratulations are also extended to our Parks and Recreation Director, Austin
Fesmire, and Leslie McKee, the executive assistant to the City Manager, who both retired during FY2023.
Austin had over 35 years in his position as director and we have worked jointly on a number of grants and
construction projects for the City over the past 34 years. He provided a great deal of motivation and
encouragement throughout that time. Leslie’s experience in preparing agendas and minutes for City
Council meetings as well as performing numerous other duties is missed by her fellow employees.

Respectfully submitted,

Michael L. Keith, CPA
Director of Finance

December 27, 2023
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