Santa Barbara County Receives Distinguished Budget Award for Fiscal Year 2025-26

The County of Santa Barbara was conferred with a prestigious award for its budgeting. 

The Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) awarded the County of Santa Barbara the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award for its Fiscal Year 2025–26 Recommended Budget Book, the county announced in a social media post on January 17, 2026.

The award is the highest recognition in governmental budgeting and highlights the county’s efforts to maintain transparency, sound financial management, and clear communication, the county said.

“The County has earned this award for more than 20 consecutive years,” the County of Santa Barbara shared in the post.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Santa Barbara County (@countyofsb)

The recognition highlights the joint efforts of departments across the county to produce a budget “that serves as a clear policy, financial, and operational guide for the public and decision-makers,” the county added.

In Fiscal Year 2025-26, California had one of the highest numbers of winning cities, counties, districts, utilities, and other agencies. More than 100 cities and 11 counties in California received the honor, according to GFOA’s winners list.

This reflects the size of California’s public sector and emphasis on standardized financial reporting across all jurisdictions. 

Several cities, including Lompoc, San Luis Obispo, San Diego, Buellton, Los Angeles, Fresno, Morro Bay, and Palo Alto, received the budget awards.

In addition to Santa Barbara County, California counties including Alameda, Contra Costa, Monterey, Napa, Nevada, Orange, Riverside, San Diego, San Joaquin, and Santa Clara also received the honor.

The Distinguished Budget Presentation Award is viewed as a benchmark for fiscal accountability and long-term planning.

The Distinguished Budget Presentation Award Program was established in 1984 by GFOA to encourage and assist state and local governments in preparing budget documents of the highest standard, which reflect both the guidelines established by the National Advisory Council on State and Local Budgeting and GFOA’s best practices on budgeting.

The award also honors individual governments that succeed in achieving these goals, according to GFOA.  

Each year, nearly 1,900 governments, including states, cities, counties, special districts, school districts, and others have been recognized for transparency in budgeting. 

The program is open to submissions from any type of government at either the state or local level that makes its budget document available to the public. To qualify for the award, participants can submit either their proposed or adopted budget.

Santa Barbara County’s Fiscal Year 2025-26 Recommended Budget Book is available on the county’s website. The document outlines departmental funding priorities, capital projects, and anticipated expenditures and revenues.

The winners lists are updated quarterly.