The Government Finance Officers Association gave its annual Distinguished Budget Presentation award to Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle.
"This award represents a significant achievement," said Stephen Gauthier, the organization's director of technical services.
"The GFOA budget awards reflect the commitment of a governing body and staff to meeting the highest principles of governmental budgeting," Gauthier said. "Through Cook County's example, we hope that other entities will be encouraged to achieve excellence in budgeting."
The award reflects a budget's "ability to serve as a policy document, financial plan, an operations guide, and a communications device," Preckwinkle's office said in a press release extolling the award.
County budget director Andrea Gibson won a certificate of recognition for budget presentation by the GFOA.
"Creating a responsible, fiscally sustainable, and transparent budget has been the top priority of this administration, and we are fortunate to have the invaluable contributions and hard work of Director Gibson and the Department of Budget and Management team," Preckwinkle said.
In other Cook County news, Preckwinkle last week announced a new 21-member advisory council, made up of prominent Chicago-area business people, to promote long-term regional economic growth.
John W. Rogers, chief executive officer of Ariel Investments, and William Osborn, retired chairman of the Northern Trust Corp., will serve as co-chairs of the council.
Other members of the council from the financial industry are Richard Price, CEO of Mesirow Financial; Michael Sacks, CEO of Grosvenor Capital Management; and Scott Swanson, president of Charter One and RBS Citizens, Illinois and Michigan.
