Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Government Finance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Walker County auditors issue unmodified opinion on 2024 financials; note two deficiencies
Summary
External auditors Rushton LLC reported an unmodified (clean) opinion on Walker County's fiscal 2024 financial statements and highlighted two significant deficiencies and a series of management recommendations; auditors said county net position increased year-over-year.
Julie George, audit manager with Rushton LLC, told the Walker County Board of Commissioners on April 3 that the firm issued an unmodified opinion on the county's financial statements for the year ended Sept. 30, 2024, meaning the auditors believe the statements present fairly, in all material respects, the county's financial position.
The audit presentation, led by George with audit partner Clay Pilgrim in the room, summarized a full set of financial statements, notes and a separate bound color presentation of highlights. George said the county ended the fiscal year with a total net position “right under $174,000,000,” up from 2022, and that the county realized excess revenues over expenditures in each of the last three fiscal years.
The auditors noted that the county received a clean—or unmodified—opinion and that the audit was performed in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards and Government Auditing Standards. George also pointed the board to two documents in the packet: a letter with "significant audit matters" and a second letter containing management points or recommendations addressed to county management and constitutional officers.
Pilgrim and George walked commissioners through the government-wide statements and general fund details and explained differences between monthly fund reports and annual, full-accrual statements. The auditors flagged two significant deficiencies in internal control (see audit report page references provided to commissioners) but reported no material weaknesses in financial reporting. On federal awards and single-audit testing, Rushton reported no material weaknesses or significant deficiencies.
Board members pressed for plain-language context. Pilgrim told the commission that one useful liquidity measure is unrestricted general fund balance: "You could operate about 10 months off the money that it has," based on the Sept. 30, 2024 balances, a level the auditors described as healthy for the county but contingent on future plans and capital needs.
The presentation also reviewed SPLOST and T-SPLOST activity, capital investment (net investment in capital assets was up about $20 million since 2022), and upcoming accounting standard changes such as GASB 101 on compensated absences. George and Pilgrim encouraged commissioners to contact the audit team with any follow-up questions.
Commissioners did not take an immediate formal action during the presentation; the audit report will be available to the public per the chair's statement.
