Beaufort County has been awarded the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award from the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) for its FY2026 Annual Budget.

“Beaufort County has taken immense strides over the past year to provide increased fiscal transparency to our taxpayers,” said County Administrator Michael Moore. “To receive this award for the first time since FY2023 is a good indication that we’re heading in the right direction. I’d like to thank our Finance Staff for their hard work and congratulate them on this incredible achievement.”

This significant accomplishment reflects the commitment of Beaufort County and staff to meeting the highest principles of governmental budgeting. In order to receive the budget award, Beaufort County had to meet nationally recognized guidelines for effective budget presentation. These guidelines are designed to assess how well an entity's budget serves as:

• a policy document
• a financial plan
• an operations guide
• a communications device

“To receive this Distinguished Budget Presentation Award is a significant milestone for our organization. We are committed to providing our residents fiscal transparency to see exactly where their taxpayer dollars are spent,” said Pinky Harriott, Chief Financial Officer. “Our Digital Budget Book provides user-friendly links to help navigate each aspect of all our government spending.”

GFOA established the Distinguished Budget Presentation Awards Program (Budget Awards Program) in 1984 to encourage and assist state and local governments in preparing budget documents of the highest quality that reflect the established guidelines for best practices on budgeting.

Beaufort County’s FY2026 Budget Book is available online here or by visiting www.beaufortcountysc.gov/budget.