Village Receives Finance Award

Finance Director Al Zochowski and his entire department were recently awarded a prestigious finance award.

The Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA) awarded the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award to the village of Lake Zurich, Zochowski and the finance department. According to a letter from the GFOA, the award "reflects the commitment of the governing body and staff to meeting the highest principles of government budgeting."

Local governments that are given the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award must meet nationally-recognized guidelines that "are designed to assess how well an entity's budget serves as a policy document, a financial plan, an operations guide (and) a communications device," according to the GFOA.

"This is the absolute highest honor that a local government finance department can attain," Village Administrator Bob Vitas said at Monday night's board meeting. " has joined an exclusive group. You are now among the leaders in our industry."

"Congratulations, Mr. Zochowski, and the entire finance department," added Mayor Suzanne Branding.

Zochowski recognized the contributions of each of his employees.

"We're very proud that we were able to win this award for the village of Lake Zurich," said Zochowski. "Your finance staff is a very professional staff."