Costa Mesa recognized for its budgeting

Costa Mesa recently received one of North America’s highest honors for municipal budgeting, the city announced in a news release Friday.

The Government Finance Officers Assn. recognized Costa Mesa’s fiscal year 2012-13 budget document with a Distinguished Budget Presentation Award, it said.

“This distinguished honor represents the hard work and dedication of our city staff in striving for transparency ...,” City CEO Tom Hatch said in a statement. “The budget is the most important policy decision that the City Council makes each year, and this award represents our effort to encourage public participation.”

Huntington Beach, Irvine, the Orange County Fire Authority and the Orange County Sanitation District were among other agencies to win the award, according to a list on the association’s website.

The nonprofit association serves more than 17,800 finance officials throughout the United States and Canada, according to the news release.

— Jill Cowan

Twitter: @JillCowan