News Story

City Recognized for Outstanding Fiscal Stewardship and Transparency

The City of Arlington continues to be recognized for its strong financial performance and commitment to transparency, earning accolades from national and state organizations. This consistent dedication to sound fiscal policies improves the City’s financial resilience and benefits its residents through efficient resource management and lower borrowing costs.

Arlington proudly holds the distinction of being a “Triple Crown Winner,” one of only 36 entities in the State of Texas to receive all three of the Government Finance Officers Association’s (GFOA) most prestigious awards: the Certificate of Achievement in Excellence in Financial Reporting, the Popular Annual Financial Reporting Award, and the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award. This recognition underscores the City’s commitment to clear, comprehensive, and accessible financial communication.

View the latest Popular Annual Financial Report

Further demonstrating its dedication to transparency, Arlington is one of only 11 entities in Texas to have achieved all six Transparency Stars from the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. This program recognizes local governments that go above and beyond in making their financial information readily available to the public. The six areas recognized include traditional finances, contracts and procurement, economic development, public pensions, debt obligations, and open government compliance. The City provides clear and meaningful financial information through posted documents, thorough summaries, visualizations, downloadable data, and other relevant information.

The City’s fiscally sound policies, financial resilience, and manageable long-term liabilities have also resulted in consistently high credit ratings from the three major independent rating agencies: S&P Global Ratings, Moody’s Ratings, and Fitch Ratings. These strong ratings are crucial as they enable the City to secure lower interest rates on its debt, ultimately saving taxpayer dollars.

Recently, the agencies affirmed their confidence in Arlington’s financial management:

• S&P Global Ratings affirmed all three credits with its highest rating of AAA.
• Moody’s Ratings affirmed all three credits with their second highest rating of Aa1.
• Fitch Ratings affirmed the Water and Wastewater System (WWS) and Stormwater credits with their highest rating of AAA.

For years, these agencies have highlighted Arlington’s strong performance, financial resilience, and prudent management of long-term liabilities. These consistent recognitions demonstrate the City’s ongoing commitment to responsible fiscal stewardship and transparency for the benefit of its community.