The Legislative Joint Auditing Committee on July 10 adopted a slate of standing-committee reports and approved follow-up actions aimed at entities with delinquent audits, committee chair (name not specified) said at the meeting.

Committee members said the votes direct staff and other state officials to press jurisdictions with late reports to file audits and, in some cases, to hold state turnback funding until audits are current.

The committee adopted executive, counties and municipalities, educational institutions, and state agencies standing‑committee reports. The standing committee on counties and municipalities voted to send letters to three cities with delinquent 2023 audit reports setting a filing deadline of Sept. 1, 2025, and instructed the state treasurer to withhold turnback revenues from 44 water and sewer entities with delinquent 2022 audit reports. As required by Act 453 of 02/2023, the committee also voted to notify 66 additional water and sewer entities with delinquent 2023 reports of a Sept. 7, 2025 deadline.

The committee accepted several audit referrals and enforcement steps identified in the reports. The counties and municipalities report listed 269 current reports reviewed, 15 referred to prosecuting attorneys and the attorney general, and three certified to the governmental bonding board; 263 current reports were filed (the report for Garland County was filed with an objection noted). The educational institutions committee filed 67 audit reports and deferred three. The state agencies committee filed nine reports; among the findings presented were incorrect career-service payments at Arkansas PBS and apparent overcommitment by the Public Employee Retirement System (APERS) related to a partial equity ownership agreement.

The executive committee report noted staff scheduling of audits and special reports and approved exceptions in limited cases, including agreement to perform audits for the Blytheville School District for fiscal years 2024 and 2025 as an exception because the district is under state control. Staff also deferred a special report on fiscal-impact statements until September to develop scope with committee chairs.

Committee members voted unanimously on the motions to adopt the standing reports; roll-call tallies were not recorded in the transcript. Several motions were seconded and passed by voice vote.

The committee’s next meeting was announced for Sept. 11, 2025. No additional business was raised at the close of the adopted reports.

Ending: The adopted actions set deadlines and enforcement steps to press jurisdictions with late audits toward compliance and authorize staff audits in specified exceptions; the committee will revisit deferred items and pending special reports at its September meeting.