County auditor delivers clean opinion; commissioners agree to publish management letter

Auditors presented the Finny County 2025 financial audit during the June 15 meeting, reporting an unmodified (clean) opinion on the county’s regulatory-basis financial statements and no material weaknesses or findings related to federal programs.

Kristen Seavec and Tiffany Oorc outlined key figures: the county’s total cash balance at year-end was $63.8 million (a $1.2 million decrease from the prior year) while the general fund grew by $2.4 million driven by internal reallocations. The presentation broke down restricted funds (grants, guest tax), reserve funds (capital projects), and operating funds; it explained transfers, recent spending on EMS and the Law Enforcement Center, and long-term debt of about $7.8 million, including finance leases maturing in 2032 and 2037. Staff also compared Finny County with surrounding counties on valuation, mill levies and tax receipts.

After the presentation, a commissioner moved to publish the June 4 audit letter and management observations on the county website so the public would have access to the same information; the board approved the motion. Commissioners also discussed budget planning and asked staff for additional breakdowns (for instance, separating residential and commercial real-estate valuation on future reports) ahead of scheduled budget work sessions in July and a possible special session in mid-July.

The auditor’s presentation was informational; the board took one administrative action to post the audit letter online and scheduled follow-up budget work sessions.