The Charlotte County Treasurer’s office has been accredited by the Treasures’ Association of Virginia (TAV).

The accreditation was awarded during the TAV’s annual convention on June 14 in Arlington.

“This accreditation is about the office,” said Charlotte County Treasurer, Patricia Berkeley.

“This accreditation has been accomplished over the years by the assistance of dedicated former and current employees.”

According to Berkeley the office has received accreditation each year since 2012.

The Office Accreditation Program is a voluntary program that oversees a variety of procedures, and currently, there are 65 treasures offices in the Commonwealth that have received accreditation.

“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,” says 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.”

Currently, the Charlotte County Treasurer’s office employees four individuals, including Berkeley who has been the county’s treasurer for the past 11 years. “It is with the assistance of the staff that this office has accomplished accreditation and I appreciate all that the staff does every day,” added Berkeley.

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.

In addition, 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.

At the end of fiscal year 2018, the Charlotte County Treasures office handled approximately $45 million in revenue on behalf of all the departments in the county. Those figures include state, federal and local funds according to Berkeley.

It is estimated that combined; the 65 accredited offices handled close to $13 billion in the Fiscal Year 2018 according to the TAV.