Thursday, Feb. 18, 2010

Auditor says city clean on latest review

John Beaudoin, Journal Publisher

In a brief, but important, Blue Springs City Council meeting Tuesday night, elected officials and citizens heard a favorable report on the city’s financial health.

In essence, they got a clean bill, said Director of Finance Christine Cates.

“They said this is a clean audit and that the financial statements are fairly presented,” Cates said.

Dick Perkins and Michael Keenan of Cochran, Head Vick and Company, a certified public accounting firm, gave the report to Mayor Carson Ross, members of the city council and other city staff, including Cates, City Administrator Eric Johnson and Assistant City Administrator Todd Pelham.

The only blip in the audit, which the CPA firm said was recognized and addressed by the city, were in the financial reporting of capital assets and in single audit compliance.

In the former instance, the auditors noted the city needed to have a system in place to ensure city assets are properly recorded and accounted for. City management responded by agreeing on the importance of such accounting and recording of capital assets contributed to the city. Cates also said the city has modified its procedure to review developer certified costs for Tax Increment Financing projects at year-end to record the contributed capital that is in process, but not completed.

The letter to management also calls to ensure that all required reports for Federal Grants, such as the city’s Community Development Block program, are accounted for.

“The management letter provides us with the opportunity to improve our process and become more efficient,” Cates said, adding that they clean audit was anticipated. “This is what we expect. This is the level we expect to attain every year. And we get a lot of cooperation from everyone in the city.”

Among the items approved in the consent agenda were a resolution to approve the agreement for the 2010 Street Program. The program would cost $3 million and, among other improvements, would provide for new asphalt for the recycling center and for re-paving of two parking lots at Hidden Valley Park and Keystone Park.

Ross also noted two other consent agenda items pertaining Centennial Pool-Plex. Those improvements cost $365,000 and will go toward the roof and related materials.

To reach Journal Publisher John Beaudoin, call 816-282-7001, or e-mail jbeaudoin@ bluespringsjournal.com