Madison County government’s finance committee received a sterling report Nov. 2 on the status of this year’s annual audit.
Matt Miller, of the auditing firm Treadwell, Tamplin and Company, told the committee that this year’s audit is on time for the first time in a number of years, and that information received from the finance department to do the audits is “a sight better over the way things were done previously.”
And he specifically praised finance director Kathy Clark for her work at cleaning up the reporting process.
Miller said his company’s findings included no significant difficulties with the audit and that they had no problems receiving timely and correct information in order to do their work.
“Consequently, we (auditors) were able to get in and out a little faster than in the past,” he told the committee.
Miller noted that the audits have improved on several fronts.
“From where y’all were to where we are now is just great,” Miller said, pointing out that the reports have gone from 50 to 70 comments (concerns) down to just two. “You’re not on any delinquency list now,” he told the committee
And Miller said two previous major concerns, namely infrastructure values and EMS receivables (money received from EMS services, such as ambulance services), have been taken care of.
He said Clark went back retroactively and accumulated infrastructure values from 1980 forward, converting the cost to current values, including depreciation.
And Miller told the committee that the county now has a 60 percent collection rate on ambulance fees, which is consistent with the national average. Miller pointed out that the collection rate for EMS fees was estimated by auditors in the high 30 percent range in the past few years. “Now that’s far better,” he said.
On time property tax collections and an improved collection rate on ambulance fees has made a big difference in the county fund balance (contingency fund), bringing it to a healthy 32 percent, which gives the county a good “cushion” between tax cycles noted Miller.
He added that the county should not need to borrow money to run the government, as it has resorted to in previous years.
“Once you get on track, its not hard to stay on track,” Miller said. “And it’s just a lot easier to audit something that’s current.”
“Kudos to the finance office for doing a great job for the county,” Miller said.
Commission chairman Anthony Dove agreed, praising Clark and the finance department, as well as clerk Linda Cox for their work at keeping records straight.
Dove said he now receives copies of cash receipts daily, that double signatures are required on all cash receipts and that he receives a weekly finance report from Clark.
“And I can say this, Kathy (Clark) don’t want to be off one penny,” he added.
“I’m real proud of this,” commissioner and finance committee member Stanley Thomas said. “We’ve set through some rough sessions on this committee and went through some bad things, from the audits being two – two and a half years behind where we couldn’t get state grant money, to getting only 30 percent of $1 million a year in EMS receipts.”
Thomas added that with “money disappearing” constituents were losing confidence in their local government.
“I appreciate all the hard work of all the employees, including our constitutional officers,” Thomas said. “I’m really happy.”
That is alot of money to pocket. In the previous newspaper report, that is where the most descrepancies were coming from concerning the previous CFO and clerk.
Glad to hear that things are back on track.