Hayden City Council accepts 2023 audit, approves Dakota Street sale and adopts consent-agenda resolution

Hayden City Council on Tuesday accepted the city’s fiscal year 2023 financial audit, voted to sell the city-owned Dakota Street parcel to the highest sealed bidder and adopted a resolution acknowledging recent state law changes to consent-agenda procedures.

The council accepted the audit for the year ended Sept. 30, 2023, after a presentation from Alpine Summit CPAs. Toni Caput of Alpine Summit told the council the firm issued an “unmodified” — commonly called a clean — independent auditor’s report on the city’s financial statements. Caput said the audit team issued three reports overall, and that the only finding was a repeat finding for timeliness because the audit was not completed within the nine-month window required by state and federal rules.

“This report is an unmodified report — also referred to as a clean report, meaning that we were able to audit your financial statements and conclude they are materially correct,” Caput said. She added the only finding related to the timeliness of completing the audit and that the firm expects the city to avoid a repeat after changes in staff and process.

The audit covers the city’s government-wide and fund financial statements for the year ended Sept. 30, 2023. The auditor highlighted figures in the draft report: the general fund held approximately $11,469,000 in assets and $5,847,000 in liabilities for an ending general fund balance of about $9,290,000. The general fund recorded roughly $8.0 million in revenues and $5.6 million in expenditures in 2023, producing a positive change in fund balance of about $1,789,000. The sewer enterprise fund showed an ending net position near $3.1 million and a net change in net position of about $2.0 million for 2023, after a prior-year loss related to costs at the Harsby wastewater treatment plant.

Councilors asked where cash and investments were held; Caput pointed the council to the audit breakout (page 25 of the packet) and summarized the carrying amounts presented in the financial statements, noting cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash tied to impact fee funds.

Votes at a glance

- Consent calendar (items 1a–1f): approved by roll call vote. Items listed in the packet included approval of the June 10, 2025, meeting minutes; a park concessions agreement and permit with Ritchie’s Dog House; payments to 2025 Hayden’s Cut Talent winners; approval of a purchase-and-sale agreement with Rad Properties for the Ramsey Road extension project; authorization for the mayor to sign an engagement letter with Alpine Summit to complete the fiscal year 2024 audit; and approval of bills for payment. Outcome: approved (unanimous roll call).

- Acceptance of fiscal year 2023 financial audit: motion and second; roll call vote approved unanimously.

- Dakota Street property sale: the council considered sealed bids received for the city-owned Dakota Street property. Staff recommended accepting the highest sealed bid; the memo and staff remarks stated the highest offer exceeded the city’s minimum and was reported in discussion as approximately $1.74 million (staff stated the high bid as $1,740,191). The council voted to accept the highest bid and authorize the mayor to sign the purchase-and-sale agreement. Outcome: approved (unanimous roll call).

- Resolution acknowledging House Bill 172 and amending the city’s consent-agenda process: after discussion, the council voted to adopt the resolution. The roll call shows Council Member White voted no; Council Member DePriest, Council President Rotor and Council Member Schaeffer voted yes. Outcome: adopted (4–1).

Why it matters

The audit acceptance closes the FY2023 financial reporting for Hayden City and provides a public record of the city’s fiscal position, audit finding(s) and where auditors focused their work. The Dakota Street sale authorizes a major real-estate transaction that will remove city ownership of that parcel pending purchase-and-sale terms and closing. The consent-agenda resolution signals the council’s intent to clarify local practice following state-level statutory changes addressing consent agendas.

Meeting context and next steps

Councilors and staff said they expect the FY2024 audit (the year ending Sept. 30, 2024) to be completed without the same timeliness finding, and staff noted the 2024 audit report was due imminently. The Dakota Street sale now moves to completion steps under the purchase-and-sale agreement and any closing conditions. The resolution referencing House Bill 172 will be incorporated into city processes and the minutes as directed by council.

Ending

All formal votes were recorded by roll call during the June 10 session. Staff and council members said they will continue work on the FY2024 audit timeline and on related budget and capital items at scheduled workshops this month.