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Auditor reports healthy preliminary fund balances; council approves FEMA study amendment for Hogback Lake
Summary
External auditors told council preliminary 2020 fund balances were healthy and an unmodified audit opinion is expected; council also approved a task-order amendment to include Hogback Lake in FEMA floodplain modeling to potentially remove flood-designation risk.
The Rawlins City Council heard an update on the 2020 audit and approved an amendment to engineering work on a FEMA floodplain study.
External auditors said the 2020 audit work is nearing completion and that they currently expect an unmodified opinion. The auditor presented preliminary numbers showing that governmental funds had net income for 2020 (roughly $2.7 million) and that the water enterprise fund carries substantial capital assets (about $25.6 million) with unrestricted water cash of approximately $2.27 million; unrestricted sewer cash was reported as $37,007.86. The auditor said a small number of routine reclassifications and pension/capital entries remained outstanding but that no issues had been identified that would raise audit concerns.
Separately, council considered an amendment to an existing engineering contract so Engineers & Associates could include Hogback Lake and its diversion structure in FEMA modeling and prepare a stability analysis of the earthen dam and diversion. Staff said FEMA id not include the lake in the current model and that incorporating it through a Letter of Map Revision could substantially reduce or eliminate the floodplain designation for the southern area of town. Council approved the task-order amendment to proceed with survey, drone mapping, flood routing and stability analysis; staff said the amendment will require a budget amendment to fund the additional work.
Council members welcomed the audit progress and said the floodplain work could materially reduce the need for flood insurance for affected residents if the lake is accepted in the FEMA model. Engineers will also pursue any required easements on the private property where the Hogback Lake diversion structure sits so that necessary work can proceed.
