Southlake taxpayers have independent confirmation that their city's financial books meet the highest standard in public-sector transparency.

The Government Finance Officers Association announced July 22, that Southlake earned its Triple Crown Award for fiscal year 2024, placing the city among just 441 governments across the United States and Canada to receive the honor this cycle.

It's the sixth consecutive year Southlake has swept all three of GFOA's top recognitions, a streak that dates to 2019, when the award was first given.

"This level of recognition means so much coming from GFOA, an organization known for setting the standard in public finance," Chief Financial Officer Sharen Jackson said in the city's announcement.

"We've been honored with the Triple Crown Award every year (2019-2024) since it was established, and that consistency reflects our commitment to serving our residents."

GFOA, which counts more than 35,000 member governments, requires a city to earn three separate awards in the same fiscal year to qualify for the Triple Crown:

Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting. Established in 1945, this program requires an independent review of a government's annual financial report before recognition is granted.

Distinguished Budget Presentation Award. Created in 1984, it evaluates budget documents against GFOA best practices and National Advisory Council on State and Local Budgeting guidelines.

Popular Annual Financial Reporting Award. Launched in 1991, it recognizes governments that produce resident-friendly financial summaries drawn from their comprehensive annual financial report, written so the general public can understand them without a background in public finance.

The city also holds a Transparency Star from the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts for exceeding state transparency standards, according to the announcement.

Earlier this year, at the Tuesday, February 17, Southlake City Council meeting, the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award was separately recognized as an organizational honor presented by Assistant to the City Manager Bora Sulollari.

Residents who want to see how their tax dollars are spent can visit the city's open data portal at cityofsouthlake.com/2520/Southlake-Open-Data, which tracks sales tax revenue, annual budget revenues and expenses, property assessed values, and other financial data.

The adopted FY 2026 budget is available at cityofsouthlake.com/4269/Adopted-FY-2026-Budget.