Washington County Government: County Receives Clean Audit Report

Press release from the Washington County Government:

December 22, 2021

JONESBOROUGH – Washington County’s annual report was released this week by the Comptroller’s Office and once again the county received a clean opinion.

“There were no audit findings in General Government for fiscal year 2020,” explained Mayor Joe Grandy. “Last year we had three findings and I am happy to report that those were corrected."

The audit revealed one finding each in the Office of the County Clerk and Office of the Circuit Court Clerk, but neither dealt a negative financial impact to the county. There were three findings in the Director of School’s office as well. All have corrective action plans in place and the Mayor stated he is confident those will be corrected prior the next audit.

“The audit showed no findings related to control over or compliance with federal awards, which is very important considering the County and the Schools received in excess of $16 million in federal or state funds,” Grandy noted. “Non-compliance could result in us being required to repay the funds using taxpayer dollars.”

The County continues to follow a conservative approach to fiscal matters as is evidenced by its financial results for the last fiscal year. 

For the year ended June 30, 2021, all major funds ended the year in the black. County officials and department heads continue to practice financial restraint by not spending more than what the County Commission has allotted for operations.

The County’s governmental funds added $3.8 million to fund balance and the Board of Education added $4.5 million to its General Purpose School Fund balance.

“We were able to reduce outstanding debt by $7.7 million during the year,” Grandy said. And given the solid financial performance in 2021, the Commission paid off an additional $2.456 million of interest bearing debt last October.”

The County’s debt per capita was $1,339 in 2018 and decreased to $1,096 in 2021.

“This is a testament to the solid, conservative fiscal approach taken by our county government,” Grandy stated.

The report is available for public review on the County’s website.

This press release was produced by the Washington County Government. The views expressed here are the author’s own.