Valley County commissioners approve fiscal 2024 audit after clean financial review

The Valley County Board of Commissioners voted May 27 to approve the county’s fiscal year 2024 audit after a presentation by Jordan Swigart of Swigart John and Associates, who reported an unqualified opinion and no audit findings.

Swigart told the board the audit team reconciled financial statements to source documents, reviewed grants subject to single‑audit requirements and found no material misstatements or control findings. “In our opinion, everything’s materially correct,” he said during the presentation.

Major highlights Swigart cited included a general fund increase of about $771,000 for the year, a roughly $1.2 million increase in the Road and Bridge Fund, and a reduction in ARPA (American Rescue Plan) funds of approximately $6.8 million tied to prior period spending. He also reported the county’s pooled investments included state LGIP balances, U.S. government securities and certificates of deposit; he described fund cash positions and noted that the solid waste fund had set aside reserves for a future transfer/landfill project.

The audit team performed the required single audit because federal expenditures exceeded the threshold; Swigart reported no findings for federal grant compliance. He also advised the county could consider allocating interest earnings across large funds (for example, solid waste) rather than leaving all interest in the general pool; commissioners asked staff to consider whether to change current practice of allocating only some interest to Road and Bridge.

After the presentation a commissioner moved to approve the FY2024 audit; another commissioner seconded the motion and the board approved it by voice vote. The audit presentation and vote occurred during the afternoon session; auditors said they would be available to answer follow‑up questions.