County auditor issues unmodified opinion on FY24 financial statements; auditors praise internal controls

An external audit firm told the Johnson County Commissioners Court on April 1 that the county received an unmodified opinion on its FY 2024 financial statements and that auditors found no reportable deficiencies in internal controls or compliance with major federal and state programs.

Wade Whitlow, CPA, of the audit firm (presented as Kenimer Masters in Lunsford’s team) told the court the firm issued “an unmodified opinion,” the term auditors use for a clean audit report, following more than six months of testing, department visits and grant compliance reviews. He said the auditors had also issued clean letters on internal control over financial reporting and on compliance for major federal and state programs, including the ARPA audit and juvenile grant clusters.

Why it matters: An unmodified auditor opinion means the financial statements are presented fairly in all material respects, and the clean compliance and internal control letters indicate auditors found no material weaknesses during testing. Auditor Whitlow told commissioners the county’s staff and departments showed “a very high level” of control awareness.

County financial condition: The auditor said the county is in a solid financial position and well positioned to address growth and upcoming capital needs. The county judge and commissioners thanked the auditor’s office and staff for their preparation and cooperation during the audit.

Quotations and attribution: Direct quotes in this article come from Wade Whitlow during the April 1 presentation of the FY 2024 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report.