Coconino County reports FY24 unaudited finances; audit delayed and ARPA dollars nearly spent

Siri Malini, a county finance staff member who presented the report, told the Board of Supervisors on Dec. 10 that Coconino County’s fiscal year 2024 (year ended June 30, 2024) financial statements are unaudited and that a change in auditors has pushed the audit timetable back roughly six to seven months.

“That puts us about 7 months behind where we would typically be on our audit right now,” Malini said, noting the Auditor General’s office stopped conducting the county audit because of a conflict and a new firm was identified in November. She said county staff met the new audit team recently and will work to shorten the delay once fieldwork begins.

The presentation broke down major funds and one-time federal funding that supported capital projects and temporary programs in FY24. The general fund showed 2.4% revenue growth and 6.3% expenditure growth; the county planned a $10,000,000 use of fund balance that was consistent with the adopted budget. Malini said pandemic-era federal programs — including the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and the Local Assistance and Tribal Consistency Fund — created one-time resources that funded capital projects and other initiatives.

“We had about…