Henry County’s finance director briefed the Board of Commissioners on Sept. 3 with a mid-year financial update that showed overall year-to-date revenues ahead of budget but flagged expenditures and an ongoing delayed FY2024 audit.

Key figures presented: combined impact fees across districts totaled approximately $14.5 million as of June 30, 2025; year-to-date revenues through June were approximately $275.6 million (reported as 106% of budget), favorable to budget by about $15.9 million driven in part by property tax revenue increases tied to a millage change; year-to-date expenditures were $4.8 million unfavorable to budget; the finance director projected a full-year favorable variance of $11.1 million that staff intend to use for public safety, debt service and critical operations, with any remainder to fund balance. SPLOST 5 collections exceeded budget in total by about $75 million versus a $204 million budget; SPLOST 6 collections began in April and were reported at about $10.4 million and trending below budget so far.

The director reported $430,000 in reimbursements to approximately 78 claimants related to prior litigation affecting impact fees and said the impact fee slide had not been adjusted yet to reflect recent disbursements. The presentation noted unplanned one-time expenses in parks (including HVAC repairs) and contracted services that contributed to expenditure variances.

On the FY2024 audit, staff said auditors have outstanding questions and the county is compiling requested items; the goal is to provide a draft financial statement package by Sept. 30 and get the audit schedule back on track. Steps to prevent future audit delays include preparing 2025 audit materials early, hiring additional accounting staff, and contracting two consultants with experience in the county’s financial systems to assist staff and training.

Commissioners asked for clarification on the revenue increase and the relationship to property values and millage rates, the timing of SPLOST 6 receipts, and steps to avoid recurring audit timing issues. The finance director said staffing additions and consultant support are intended to address audit timeliness.