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County audit: Lubbock County posts clean opinion; net position up amid capital projects
Summary
External auditors gave Lubbock County an unmodified (clean) opinion on the 2025 annual financial statements, reporting a roughly $50 million increase in net position driven largely by capital asset additions funded by grants and bonds; auditors reported no compliance findings and noted ARPA and bond-related fund balances.
External auditors presented Lubbock County's fiscal-year financial statements to the Commissioners Court on March 23 and issued an unmodified (clean) opinion, reporting improved net position and no reportable findings.
"This year, we have an unmodified opinion," Christie Fry, partner at the audit firm, told the court. Fry summarized key results: total revenues rose to about $222 million from $206 million the prior year, driven partly by capital grants related to facility projects; net position increased approximately $50 million year-over-year; and general fund unassigned fund balance increased to about $58 million.
The auditors noted capital activity including a tag facility and medical examiner's building; the tag project received substantial grant funding and the medical examiner facility was funded with bonds, the audit said. Fry also told the court the county has roughly $7.2 million in ARPA funds remaining that must be spent by a stated deadline and about $56 million in road bond construction funds that are committed to future projects.
Kathy Williams, the auditor's office lead in the meeting, confirmed the audit results and thanked staff for preparation. The audit firm reported no material weaknesses, no significant deficiencies and no compliance findings in its testing of federal and state funding — the single-audit work tested more than 80% of federal and state expenditures, the auditors said.
What this means: A clean audit indicates auditors found no material misstatements in the county's reported financials for the year and no compliance concerns during testing. The audit highlighted large capital investments funded by grants and bonds and an increase in unassigned fund balance, but also flagged long-term liabilities including an unfunded OPEB obligation (noted at about $23 million in the presentation).
Next steps: County management will continue to track remaining ARPA balances and capital-project spending; commissioners commended staff for the work that produced the clean opinion.
