The City of Suffolk Treasurer’s office received its accreditation from the Treasurers’ Association of Virginia in June.

The certification was presented to Treasurer Ronald H. Williams as part of the Treasurers’ Association of Virginia’s annual conference in Arlington. Chief Deputy Treasurer Shirley Snead and Deputy Treasurer Andrew Owen were also in attendance at the conference.

The Office Accreditation program is a voluntary professional certificate program that is overseen by the Treasurers’ Association of Virginia. Sixty-five treasurer’s offices received accreditation this year.

It is estimated that combined, the accredited offices handled close to $13 billion in Fiscal Year 2018.

“Those treasurers that choose to submit to the accreditation process take an extra step to ensure they are good stewards of their locality’s funds,” said Treasurer Association President Evelyn Powers. “These offices have demonstrated they are of the highest caliber and integrity. Accreditation represents the hardworking, dedicated nature of our treasurers and their staff throughout the commonwealth.”

While it is not required for any treasurer’s office to be accredited, receiving accreditation acknowledges that the office meets the statewide best practices for performance in treasury management.

As part of the accreditation process, offices must successfully pass an outside audit with no findings of material weakness.

The rigorous accreditation process also requires proof of continuing education, such as attendance of an ethics course by the treasurer and educational requirements for all staff. Accredited offices are required to have written policies in place addressing areas such as personnel, customer service and delinquent collections.

“The Treasurers Association is committed to ensuring that elected treasurers have the resources and tools they need to serve the citizens who elected them,” said Powers. “We are proud of the 65 offices which received accreditation this year and the hard work and dedication it took for each of them to meet the highest standards of excellence in fiscal management.”

“I am pleased to report that my office has once again met the accreditation criteria,” said Williams. “This is a true benefit to the citizens of Suffolk and to the city’s overall financial health.”

The Treasurers’ Association has 187 active members across Virginia’s cities, counties and towns. Its goal is to utilize education and networking to raise professionalism and fiscal leadership in Virginia’s treasurers and their staffs. The association hosts multiple classes and conferences to support its members and enable offices to stay current in practices and standards. Members adhere to a strict code of ethics and to the highest standards of performance as they seek to administer faithfully the funds entrusted to them by the citizens of Virginia.