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Brookfield auditor: town received a clean opinion after prior adverse finding
Summary
At the July 21 Select Board meeting, auditor Cheryl Pratt reported a clean (unmodified) opinion for the year ended 12/31/2025 after the town capitalized previously unreported assets; Pratt cited a restatement that raised beginning fund balance and highlighted a $231,874 budget surplus.
Cheryl Pratt, the town auditor, told the Select Board that Brookfield received a clean (unmodified) audit opinion for the year ending Dec. 31, 2025, after earlier adverse findings were addressed.
Pratt said the town recorded net capital assets of $1,398,280 and restated the beginning government‑wide/net position from $185,356 to $1,583,636 to reflect capitalization and related depreciation. She also reported that the towns unassigned fund balance rose from $741,497 to $876,019 and that the fiscal year produced an overall budget surplus of $231,874. "So the adverse opinion is no more. So you receive the town received, a clean or unmodified opinion," Pratt said.
Board members cautioned that the reported fund balance includes capital and receivable items and is not the same as immediately available cash for tax reductions. Chair (identified in the transcript only by role) said, "Fund balance is a very interesting number in this town," noting many capital assets are reflected in the government‑wide presentation rather than as spendable reserves.
Pratt recommended the board review and update internal control and financial policies, including an annual review of investment and segregation‑of‑duties practices, and suggested using state self‑assessment tools to identify any control gaps. The board took no immediate policy action and scheduled further administrative reviews in upcoming meetings.
