Auditor: Lafourche Parish receives clean opinion on 2025 financials, flags two nonmaterial issues

Matthew Margaglio of Calder, Slaven and Company LLC told the Lafourche Parish Council that the auditors issued an unmodified opinion on the parish's 2025 financial statements and found no material noncompliance in federal awards. "The overall results, the opinion that y'all received is an unmodified opinion. That's a clean opinion on the financial statement," Margaglio said as he summarized the packet, which he said runs nearly 300 pages but was condensed for the meeting.

Margaglio called out two limited issues. One was a carryover timing matter: procurement files for some vehicle purchases lacked a searchable state-contract number, so the supporting bid documentation could not be located for the audit period (the firm reported the issue to management and said it has been corrected). The second was the state budget-law 5% variance the parish must monitor at final amendment; Margaglio and council members explained that the timing of invoices and FEMA payment flows (one year high, the next low) makes it difficult to hit that 5% threshold precisely at year-end. Margaglio presented parishwide figures during his presentation: roughly $79,000,000 in total revenue, $117,000,000 in total expenditures and a combined fund balance near $111,000,000; he also noted general-fund receipts of about $12–13 million and expenditures of about $13.7 million with an ending general-fund balance near $1.1 million.

Council members asked several follow-ups about procurement records and federal audit coverage; Margaglio said major grants (including FEMA-related funds) were audited and compliance testing yielded no material noncompliance findings. The council did not take immediate action at the meeting beyond accepting the presentation and directing staff to follow up on record-keeping and monitoring the 5% variance.