The Batavia Park District’s effort to maintain transparency in financial reporting recently garnered recognition from the Government Finance Officers Association, a nonprofit professional association.

Park board officials were presented with a certificate of achievement at a recent meeting. Aaron Gold, director of finance, said it’s important to recognize what the park district has accomplished.

“Basically, it’s a standard of government,” he said. “It shows we’re very transparent.”

“Team effort from our accountants to our supervisors to anyone helping the financial department … plays a part in achieving the award this year,” he said.

The award reflects the district’s changing fortunes.

“(The park district’s finance outlook has) continued to improve,” he said. “We’re trending positively. We’re fiscally conservative. Our board does a good job during our board process to drive us toward reaching our goals.”

In 2015, the Batavia Park District received a AA-minus credit rating from Standard and Poor’s.

The coming year will bring information technology initiatives, park enhancements and more economically viable HVAC equipment, he said.

The Government Finance Officers Association is an organization serving more than 18,000 government finance professionals.