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Decatur wins clean 2024 audit; auditors flag minor purchasing‑card documentation gaps
Summary
External auditors issued an unmodified (clean) opinion on the City of Decatur’s ACFR for year ending June 30, 2024, noting no reportable findings but recommending improved documentation for a small number of purchasing‑card transactions.
The City of Decatur received an unmodified ("clean") audit opinion on its annual comprehensive financial report for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2024, city and audit officials told the commission at a Jan. 21 meeting.
Russ Madison, the city’s finance director, said the audited statements confirm the city’s financial position and support budgetary decisions. "We received another clean audit," Madison said, adding that the city’s unassigned general fund balance is about $11.4 million, roughly 31% of general fund expenditures — at the top end of the city’s 20–30% policy target.
Adam Fraley, partner at Mauldin & Jenkins and partner in charge of the engagement, told the commission his firm issued an unmodified opinion and unmodified Yellow Book and single‑audit reports. "We consider the financial statements to present fairly in all respects," Fraley said, summarizing the audit result.
Fraley said auditors did not identify any reportable findings that must appear in the audit report. The firm did note one management point: in a random sample of 25 purchasing‑card transactions auditors were unable to find documented approvals for four transactions totaling about $2,400. Fraley said the transactions were corrected in the financial statements and the city posted all proposed audit adjustments. "There were no uncorrected misstatements," he added.
Officials highlighted several positives in the audit. Madison said the retirement plan funded ratio rose to about 87% as of June 30, 2024, up roughly seven percentage points from the prior year — an improvement he attributed to strong asset returns and improved liability experience. The ACFR also shows a $13.3 million increase in net position for the year; Madison cautioned the city’s negative net position on government‑wide statements reflects long‑term pension and school liabilities required by GASB standards.
City staff said they will follow up on the purchasing‑card documentation to determine whether the weakness was an isolated recordkeeping lapse or indicates a systemic control gap.
The audit and ACFR are available online at decaturga.com/audit. The commission and staff said they will use the report to inform future budget and policy discussions.
