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County audit returns clean opinion; general fund balance rose to $40.9 million
Summary
Kalamazoo County auditors issued a clean (unmodified) opinion and reported the general fund balance at $40,887,957 as of Dec. 31, 2025. Auditors noted $77.9 million in outstanding bonds and recommended better year‑end reconciliations to avoid repeat findings.
The Kalamazoo County Board of Commissioners heard a comprehensive audit report on July 21 that included a clean audit opinion and improving fund balances.
Peter Walderman, lead auditor, told commissioners the firm rendered "an unmodified opinion" on the county's financial statements and that the "total fund balance for the general fund at 12/31/2025 was $40,887,957." He said $3,000,000 of that is restricted for budget stabilization and unassigned fund balance available for spending was about $34,068,735.
Walderman highlighted that the county recorded an actual increase in fund balance of $4,964,860 versus a budgeted decrease of $6,488,544. He also noted long‑term governmental bonds of about $77,900,000 outstanding and summarized scheduled principal and interest payments for 2026.
Commissioners asked for context on repeat audit findings and ratings. Walderman recommended stronger internal year‑end reconciliations to reduce material adjustments during audit fieldwork and confirmed the county's bond rating as "double A plus." Commissioner Gessler asked whether the county had been overly cautious in prior years; the auditor said recent circumstances produced the variance and pointed to internal improvements already underway.
The audit's clean opinion and the board discussion set the stage for the county's upcoming budget work, which staff said will focus on structural choices for the next several years.
