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Commissioners press for clearer communication on 2022–2024 outside audits
Summary
The court received a status update on outside audits for fiscal years 2022–2024; staff said 2022 is certified, 2023 work is underway under a new lead and 2024 is in progress. Commissioners asked that audit requests be copied to county staff (Misty) to improve responsiveness.
Newton County Commissioners Court received an update on the county’s outside audits for fiscal years 2022, 2023 and 2024 and discussed ways to improve coordination between auditors, the auditor’s office and court staff.
S5 reported the 2022 audit is certified and that Sharon Reed is leading work on the 2023 audit, which had begun 'this morning.' Commissioners expressed frustration at previous delays and asked for improved communication: one commissioner asked that requests to the auditor's office also be sent to Misty (county staff) so the court can track responses and avoid future hold-ups.
A point of contention emerged when one commissioner said the 2022 delay was caused by a failure to sign required documents; the comment was disputed on the record by a commissioner who said they were not in office in 2022 and could not attest to earlier actions. The court requested that auditor representatives present results to the court when appropriate so commissioners have a formal briefing.
Why it matters: timely audits are a governance and transparency issue for local governments; audit completion affects financial reporting, grant compliance and public trust.
What’s next: staff will continue working with the outside auditor, ensure required documents are routed to the correct staff and explore bringing auditor representatives to a future meeting to present findings.
