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Canton accepts 2021 audit; sewer fund shortfall flagged
Summary
The council accepted a clean 2021 audit from Hawkins Ash CPAs and reviewed fund results: General Fund finished the year with $440,251 cash; Water Fund lost more than $15,000; Sewer Fund showed a $13,000 gain driven by loan refinancing but also has a negative operating balance of $31,210 that the council did not resolve.
The Canton City Council voted April 13 to accept the 2021 financial audit prepared by Hawkins Ash CPAs and reviewed the city’s fund balances and recent changes in indebtedness.
City Clerk Brock Bergey summarized the audit results: General Fund spending totaled $258,850 in 2021, with revenues of $314,152 and an ending General Fund cash balance of $440,251. Bergey said the Water Fund incurred an operating loss of more than $15,000, while the Sewer Fund showed a $13,000 net gain largely attributable to refinancing a wastewater treatment facility loan that eliminated a payment in 2021. Bergey also reported the city’s total indebtedness fell by nearly $28,000 during the year, from $446,860 to $419,000.
Bergey told the council the Sewer Fund currently carries a negative fund balance of $31,210 and asked for direction; the council took no action on that issue during the meeting. The council voted to accept the audit (motion by Josh Nordsving, second by Cindy Shanks; motion carried).
Clerk Bergey also noted proceeds from sales of two tax‑forfeited properties were added to the General Fund ($275.70 and $1,155.70) and that natural gas costs for January through March 2022 rose roughly 46% compared with the prior year—about a $1,500 increase—creating a likely budget overage for utilities in 2022.
