Auditors give Pueblo a clean 2024 opinion but flag grant-reporting weaknesses

Matt Marino, the engagement partner for the city's external auditors, told the Pueblo City Council that the firm issued an unmodified, or "clean," opinion on the City of Pueblo's 2024 financial statements but found material weaknesses tied to grant accounting and reporting.

The finding matters because the weaknesses relate to federally funded programs overseen in the city's financial statements and the single-audit process; auditors said they will follow up on management's remediation plans next year.

Marino and Max Haberkorn, the engagement manager, told the council the firm audited the city's financial statements, reviewed internal controls and performed a single audit of federal programs. "We did issue an unmodified or a clean opinion on the financial statements," Marino said. The auditors also issued a management letter and detailed a material weakness in grant accounting arising from two grants that were not recognized or recorded as deferred…