Murrieta council accepts clean FY 24/25 audit, council votes 5-0

The Murrieta City Council on Feb. 3 unanimously received the city's FY 24/25 annual comprehensive financial report and the required single audit for federally funded programs.

Ashley Lopez, the city's accounting manager, introduced the independent auditors and told the council the audit process had produced "an unmodified, also known as clean, opinion on the city's financial statements." Auditor Jeffrey McKinnon said the firm's procedures provided reasonable assurance the statements were free of material misstatement and that the single-audit report showed compliance with federal awards.

The presentation outlined the audit phases, including interim testing of internal controls and year-end confirmation of account balances. McKinnon told the council the auditors found no deficiencies or weaknesses that required reporting and that management's estimates and disclosures were reasonable. Lopez added that having no findings for multiple years contributed to the city's designation as a low-risk auditee.

Councilmember DeForest moved to receive the audit file, with a second noted by Mayor Pro Tem Holliday; the motion carried unanimously, 5-0. No conditions or follow-up actions were recorded in the public presentation.

The audit firm also said it had uploaded the single-audit report as required; staff and auditors said they would respond to any follow-up questions from council or members of the public in subsequent communications.

The council took no additional action beyond the formal acceptance; the matter will remain part of routine fiscal oversight and future budget discussions.