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Franklin County auditors report no fraud, commissioners authorize 2025 engagement
Summary
Auditor Rodney M. Burns told the county commission that 2024 discrepancies stemmed from a systems transition and that he found no evidence of fraud; commissioners authorized a 2025 audit engagement with Rodney M. Burns, CPA LLC.
Rodney M. Burns, the county's independent auditor, told the Franklin County Commission on Jan. 7 that discrepancies in 2024 balances arose from the transition to the Tyler financial system and that his review found no missing funds or evidence of fraud.
"No evidence for fraud," Burns said while explaining that the Tyler system had rolled forward balances without reconciling differences, leaving several hundred thousand dollars of discrepancies that required adjustments in the 2024 audit.
The auditor said those differences were largely timing and reporting issues caused by running two systems in parallel during the software transition, and he described a number of fund‑level adjustments needed to bring statements into balance. Burns identified a road and bridge project fund that ended the year in the red but said state receipts in early 2025 covered the gap and that the county remained compliant with the Kansas cash‑basis law.
Commissioners pressed Burns and county staff on whether the discrepancies suggested mishandling; Burns characterized the situation as an accounting and system‑configuration problem, not misappropriation. "You've got good people working here," he said, adding that the county has reserve funds and generally strong financial position.
After the presentation commissioners voted to authorize the chairman to execute an engagement letter with Rodney M. Burns, CPA LLC to perform the county's 2025 audit. The motion carried on a voice vote.
The commission also approved the annual gap waiver used to standardize reporting under the county's cash‑basis accounting approach. Staff said the waiver is routine and helps auditors reconcile county reports with statutory reporting requirements.
The next step for county finance staff is to implement Burns's recommended adjustments and to continue working with the treasury and clerk's offices to ensure the Tyler system posts balances to expected fund columns so future audits reconcile more quickly.
