Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Finance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Arizona Auditor General reports FY2024 audit: clean opinion, eight findings for Pinal County finance and IT
Summary
The Arizona Auditor General issued a clean (unmodified) opinion on Pinal County's FY2024 financial statements but reported six financial‑statement findings and two federal findings, including late ACFR issuance, payroll clearing reconciling issues and IT control weaknesses; county finance staff outlined corrective actions and timelines.
Arizona Auditor General staff presented Pinal County's FY2024 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR) to the Board of Supervisors on March 18, reporting an unmodified (clean) opinion on the county's financial statements alongside eight audit findings.
Auditor Vicki Fisher told the board the county corrected misstatements in draft financial statements before issuing the report, but the ACFR was issued nearly 10 months late. "The county issued its ACFR 10 months later than required by state law," Fisher said, noting the delay increases the risk that financial statement users could be misinformed.
The auditors reported six financial‑statement findings and two single‑audit (federal) findings. Key issues included an unreconciled $1.3 million balance in a payroll clearing account (auditors recommended completing monthly reconciliations and resolving prior outstanding balances), departments not retaining or requiring employee time sheets in some areas (a paper‑to‑electronic transition was in progress), and deficiencies in IT risk management and controls. A separate finding reported $654,520 in penalties and interest for untimely remittance of certain FICA, tax and pension contributions; county staff said that item had been corrected as of June 30, 2025.
County finance officials acknowledged the findings and described steps already taken. Angie Woods, director of the Office of Budget and Finance, said the underlying issues have been addressed operationally and that the county has dedicated staff and new procedures to reconcile payroll clearing balances on each payroll cycle. "We have processes and procedures in place," Woods said, adding the county identified about $800,000 of retirement overpayments tied to the clearing balance and expects to substantially resolve the issue by the end of the fiscal year. Finance staff also said the county implemented an electronic timesheet system in late 2025 to centralize and retain approved time records.
On federal compliance, auditors noted the county submitted its June 30, 2024 single audit to the federal Clearinghouse in January 2026—nearly 10 months late—and reported an inaccuracy in cumulative and quarterly COVID‑related program expenditures, which the county corrected on October 31, 2025.
Auditors provided target remediation dates for several findings (some as late as March 2028 for complete correction of documentation and timeliness issues). County staff said working directly with the Auditor General's office has helped both sides align reporting and that they expect improved timeliness for future audits.
The board did not take action on the audit beyond the presentation; auditors recommended continued implementation of their corrective suggestions and follow‑up in subsequent audits.
