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Hutchinson County accepts annual audit showing $3 million boost to general fund
Summary
County Auditor presented an unaudited report showing roughly $20 million in county revenues (largely property taxes), a projected $3 million addition to the general fund for FY25 pending outside-auditor adjustments, and multi-year trends tied to rising property values and interest income; commissioners voted to accept the report.
The Hutchinson County Commissioners Court voted to accept the county's annual financial report for the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2025, after a presentation by County Auditor Leicia.
Leicia told the court the numbers in her report are unaudited and subject to minor adjustments from outside auditors, but she summarized the countywide totals: "total revenues for the county are about $20 million," though that figure includes transfers, and property taxes account for roughly 80% of locally generated revenue. She said the general fund is projecting an increase of about $3 million to fund balance for FY25, a figure that could change slightly after the external audit is finalized.
The auditor walked commissioners through fund-level and department-level breakdowns, highlighting categories that used substantially less than their budgets (using a staff-selected 50% threshold as an example). She pointed to several factors behind multi-year trends: increased taxable property values and higher interest income helped raise revenues between fiscal years 2022 and 2023; higher expenditures in FY24 were attributed to additions such as ambulance services, cyber-security monitoring and legal fees related to a property-appraisal lawsuit.
Commissioners asked clarifying questions about the methodology and the presentation. Leicia explained she produced the report in a custom format to present revenues and expenditures across the county's primary funds (general fund, road and bridge, airport, museum) and to show trends and subcategory detail that typical vendor reports did not display.
Following the presentation, a commissioner moved to accept the annual auditor's report and the court approved the motion by voice vote.
The court also approved the monthly auditor's report for the month ending April 30, 2026, a separate, shorter motion that had been attached to the meeting agenda. The auditor noted that some line items remain subject to outside adjustment and that larger changes will be reflected after the final audit is received.
The acceptance of the audit does not, by itself, change appropriations; commissioners will continue budget work in upcoming meetings where line-item amendments and planning-calendar dates will be finalized.
