DeSoto Parish audit shows clean opinion and modest net position gains

Speaker 3 presented the parish's 2024 audited financial statements, telling jurors the audit returned an unmodified opinion and that auditors found no current-year findings or prior-year items requiring follow-up. "There were no prior year findings," Speaker 3 said, and "there were no current year findings," language the jurors received as assurance the county's controls and reporting were functioning.

The presenter explained a notable adjustment to capital assets stemming from an AT&T agreement booked in a prior year that was later removed, which reduced capital assets and affected long-term lease obligations. On the consolidated statement of net position, the presenter cited total assets in the mid-hundreds of millions and said net position increased compared with the prior year, and that the county recorded a modest surplus for the year.

The report broke down revenue and expense drivers: the presenter attributed revenue declines in part to the absence of ARPA receipts compared with the prior year and noted higher payroll and road spending as contributors to expense increases. The presenter also cited a compensation study and a cost-of-living adjustment as factors increasing payroll costs.

The auditor invited questions; none were raised that changed the conclusions. The jury moved to accept the financial statements and to record the auditor's report as prepared by Dave Gordon, CPA. The motion to accept the financials carried.

The administration said final account balances will be adjusted as audit entries are posted; the finance officer indicated June statements were still in draft form but that staff would post auditor-suggested entries before issuing final numbers.