Port of San Diego Receives Prestigious National Budget Award

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Port Financial Services team.

The Port of San Diego is honored to receive the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award for its Fiscal Year 2026 Annual Budget from the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA). The award, a first for the Port of San Diego, represents a significant achievement by the Port and reflects the commitment of leadership and staff to meeting the highest principles of governmental budgeting.

“This recognition from a well-respected and third-party financial institution affirms we are managing public funds responsibly and effectively communicating our priorities and operations to the public,” said Chair Danielle Moore, Port of San Diego Board of Port Commissioners. “This award reflects the commitment of our Board and staff to uphold the highest principles of governmental budgeting and demonstrates quality, transparency, and accountability.”

“As stewards of public resources, our financial team is deeply committed to strategic planning, operational excellence, and financial transparency,” said Port of San Diego Chief Financial Officer Tracy Largent. “Receiving this award affirms our dedication to creating budgets that are both comprehensive and accessible and is a testament to the collaboration and professionalism of our finance team, department heads, and leadership.”

To receive the budget award, the Port had to satisfy 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 and a communications device. Budget documents must be rated "proficient" in all four categories, and in the fourteen mandatory criteria within those categories, to receive the award.

The Port demonstrated its proficiency by re-establishing many best practices across the budget process, including:

• Strategic budget planning with multi-year projections and projected fund balances including debt payments.
• Re-implementing stronger position controls and enhancing position transparency within the budget document.
• Incorporating key financial metrics and trend data.
• Clearly outlining key services provided and departmental goals.
• Providing clear project descriptions and timelines for capital projects.

These improvements strengthened the quality of the budget while also aligning with GFOA’s nationally-recognized standards.

GFOA established the Distinguished Budget Presentation Awards Program (Budget Awards Program) in 1984 to encourage and assist state and local governments to prepare budget documents of the very highest quality that reflect both the guidelines established by the National Advisory Council on State and Local Budgeting and the GFOA's best practices on budgeting and then to recognize individual governments that succeed in achieving that goal. Approximately 1,900 governments, including states, cities, counties, special districts, school districts, and more have been recognized for transparency in budgeting. To earn recognition, budget documents must meet program criteria and excel as a policy document, financial plan, operations guide, and communication tool.

The most recent Budget Award recipients, along with their corresponding budget documents, are posted quarterly on GFOA's website. Award recipients have pioneered efforts to improve the quality of budgeting and provide an excellent example for other governments throughout North America.

GFOA advances excellence in government finance by providing best practices, professional development, resources, and practical research for more than 25,000 members and the communities they serve.