Round Rock MUD honored for budgeting practices
rushy Creek Municipal Utility District in Round Rock was awarded the Government Finance Officers Association Distinguished Budget Presentation Award for its budget.
Brushy Creek MUD spokesperson Brian Rash told the Sun that this is the first time the MUD submitted its budget for this award and, therefore, the first time it had won it.
“The Board of Directors of the Brushy Creek Municipal Utility District is proud to celebrate this prestigious recognition from the GFOA for the hard work of our General Manager and his team,” BCMUD Michael Tucker said. “This Budget Award reflects the District’s unwavering commitment to fiscal transparency, sound financial management, and our responsibility to the residents of the District.”
BCMUD General Manager Shean Dalton said there are several standout projects within the FY 2025 budget, all of which stress the importance the District’s Board of Directors places on elements including emergency management, facilities and infrastructure maintenance, and overall quality of life. The FY 2025 budget includes:
Trail additions via a grant from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
Improvements to the District’s Field Operations and Administration buildings
Improvements to the District’s Community Garden
Replacement of the District’s Sendero Springs and Community Park playscapes
Improvements to the District’s Highland Horizon and Sendero Springs swimming pools
“We utilized grants from the American Rescue Plan Act for back-up generators, electrical improvements, upgraded lift stations, and winterization projects Districtwide,” Mr. Dalton said.
According to the news release from the GFOA, the award represents the commitment of the governing body and staff to meeting the highest principles of governmental budgeting.
The award was established in 1984 to encourage and assist state and local governments as they prepare their budgets to meet best practices that include enhancing transparency and excelling as a policy document, financial plan, operations guide, and communications tool.
In order to receive the budget award, the entity had to satisfy nationally recognized guidelines for effective budget presentation. These guidelines are designed to assess how well an entity's budget serves:
a policy document
a financial plan
an operations guide
a communications device
Budget documents must be rated "proficient" in all four categories, and in the fourteen mandatory criteria within those categories, to receive the award.
There are over 1,700 participants in the Budget Awards Program. The most recent Budget Award recipients, along with their corresponding budget documents, are posted quarterly on GFOA's website.
“[The Award] underscores the team’s dedication to ensuring every dollar is thoughtfully allocated to serve and enhance our community,” Mr. Tucker said. “This achievement belongs to our entire team, whose hard work and integrity make Brushy Creek a place we can all be proud to call home and reflects the values that we collectively share that help define ‘The Brushy Creek Life’.”
The Government Finance Officers Association advances excellence in government finance by providing best practices, professional development, resources, and practical research for more than 22,500 members and the communities they serve.