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Ellis County approves 2025 financial audit showing $21.0 million in unencumbered cash
Summary
Auditor Jamie Venishek told commissioners the county ended 2025 with $21,000,006.43 in unencumbered cash, $7,000,002.75 in total county debt and no significant deficiencies; the board voted to approve the audit.
Jamie Venishek of Adams Brown presented the Ellis County 2025 financial audit at the May 5 commission meeting and said the county did not require a separate single audit this year because COVID-related funds were spent and the federal threshold rose from $750,000 to $1,000,000. "So we only had to do 1 audit this time around," Venishek told the board.
Venishek reported the county's ending unencumbered cash for the primary government was $21,000,006.43 and that total county debt as of Dec. 31, 2025 was $7,000,002.75. He noted a small budget error in the debt service fund (expenditures over budget by about $16,000) and several funds that temporarily showed negative balances due to returned checks or distributable refunds. "In our opinion, your financial statements are materially correct," Venishek said.
The audit letter included small corrected and uncorrected misstatements (interest income and accrued payroll taxes) that the auditor characterized as immaterial and waived; the report listed no significant deficiencies or material weaknesses. Commissioners accepted the report and a motion to approve the 2025 audit passed on a voice vote.
The audit presentation also flagged related municipal entities: the Ellis County Library Board was newly listed as a related municipal entity in this year's notes, and the Ellis County Public Building Commission's 2026 bond issuance will be included in next year’s audit.
