Talbot County has received national recognition for its fiscal year 2025 financial reporting, with additional awards honoring the County’s finance leadership and department for their commitment to transparency and accountability.

The Talbot County Finance Department has earned the Government Finance Officers Association’s (GFOA) Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting for its Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR) for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2025.

The certificate is GFOA’s highest form of recognition in governmental accounting and financial reporting. To receive the award, the County’s financial report underwent an independent review and was evaluated against established standards for financial disclosure, transparency, and clear communication of the government’s financial position.

In addition to the County’s recognition, GFOA presented individual Awards of Financial Reporting Achievement to Finance Director Martha Darling Sparks and Assistant Finance Director Kaitlin Foster-Clark. The Talbot County Finance Office also received an award recognizing the department’s collective contributions to the County’s financial reporting.

“Not only do we see the excellent audit results, but we also experience the benefits of this work each year during the budget process,” said Talbot County Council Vice President Pete Lesher. “The clarity with which financial information is presented, both to the Council and to the public, has made a meaningful difference.”

Sparks joined Talbot County Government in 2022, followed by Foster-Clark in 2023. Since then, the department has continued refining its financial reporting processes to improve the accessibility and presentation of financial information.

The recognition underscores the importance of accurate, transparent financial reporting in supporting county budget decisions, public accountability, and long-term fiscal management. Talbot County makes its annual financial reports, dating back to 2009, publicly available. Residents and other interested parties can review the reports on the County’s financial reporting webpage.