Ellis County commissioners approve 2025 financial audit showing $21 million in unencumbered cash

The Ellis County Board of County Commissioners approved the county's 2025 financial audit after an audit presentation by Jamie Venishek of Adams Brown on May 5.

Venishek told commissioners that, under the Kansas regulatory basis used by the county, the auditors issued an "unmodified opinion" and reported the county had "an ending unencumbered cash of $21,000,006.43." She added the related fire district had about $286,000 in cash and that some smaller funds showed negative or distributable balances that would be rectified through normal processing. "We do not issue an opinion on US GAAP because you waive GAAP every year," Venishek said, explaining why the regulatory basis is used.

The audit presentation noted two types of findings in the report: certain expenditures exceeded budget in the debt service fund (noted as an error on the budget) and several funds reflected negative or temporarily overdrawn balances that are typically corrected in subsequent distributions. The auditor also summarized governance communications, including small corrected and uncorrected journal entries and immaterial items (interest income and accrued payroll taxes) that management elected to waive. "There's no significant deficiencies or material weaknesses," Venishek said.

Commissioner [moved the motion as recorded in the transcript] to approve the audit; the motion was seconded and the commission voted in favor. The motion passed.

The audit will feed into the county's 2027 budget process as staff incorporate the audit figures and the treasurer includes related municipal entities in next year's reporting.