BLYTHEWOOD — External auditors presenting the town’s year‑end audit on Dec. 15 said they issued an unmodified opinion and described the town’s finances as “extremely healthy.” Foster Heaman, the auditor representing Love Bailey and Associates, told the council the town received the highest‑quality opinion after reviewing fiscal year records through June 30, 2025.

Heaman summarized the highlights: operating revenues have generally increased year to year, 2024 was an outlier because of a large payment tied to a private project, and the town’s cash position remains strong. “Your unrestricted cash balances of around 8,500,000 and restricted balances of 3,700,000,” Heaman said, adding the town has about “31 months” of cash on hand — far above the 3–6 months commonly recommended for municipalities of this size.

Councilmembers raised questions about audit scope and internal controls. Councilman Brock asked what attestation methods the auditors use to detect misappropriation; Heaman described questionnaires, control testing and sampling and said the audit provides “reasonable assurance” but not absolute proof. Councilwoman Fritz and others pressed whether specific local policies — for example, a fee‑waiver policy for facility use — were covered by the testing; Heaman said he would research fee‑waiver practices and follow up.

Finance staff had earlier reported November receipts and expenditures; council members asked that check‑register entries include clearer memo descriptions so the council can quickly see what payments represent.

The auditor also listed restricted‑cash breakdowns as presented in the handout: roughly $2.4 million for capital projects, $600,000 in accommodation tax receipts and $600,000 in hospitality tax receipts. Heaman noted one large, earlier outflow of $2.5 million remitted to a consulting firm related to a private facility project. He recommended the council consider tightening any missing internal controls and said auditors found no fraud or material misstatements in the town’s financial statements.

The council did not take further action on the audit beyond Q&A; staff and the auditor agreed to follow up on the fee‑waiver and check‑register memo items.