Syracuse IDA approves clean 2024 audit, grants local‑access waivers and schedules public hearing for Salina First project

The Syracuse Industrial Development Agency on Wednesday accepted an unmodified audit of its 2024 financial statements, approved three waivers of the agency’s local access policy for downtown tenant build‑outs and authorized a public hearing to consider changes to the Salina First LLC project.

The audit was presented by Mike Lisonbee, who told the board the firm issued “an unmodified clean audit opinion,” and that internal‑control and investment‑policy reports were also clean. The auditors said the agency had about $4.2 million in cash at year end, $1.6 million in disclosed commitments and roughly $3.4 million of unrestricted cash available for future needs.

The board voted unanimously to accept the audited financial statements. The auditors said the final reports would be submitted to the State by March 31.

Why it matters: A clean audit affirms the agency’s year‑end financial reporting and internal controls and clears the way for required State filings. The waivers affect downtown development projects and the public‑hearing authorization advances a residential conversion that will change the scale of a previously approved project.

The audit Mike Lisonbee, the lead auditor presenting the financials, said the audit “went extremely well” and that the firm issued “an unmodified clean audit opinion,” meaning no audit exceptions were reported. He told the…