City of Elizabethton leaders are pleased with the 2014 audit report that resulted in only one finding for the Elizabethton Electric Department and no findings for the city’s general fund, water/sewer fund or sanitation fund.
“We had a very good audit,” said Elizabethton Finance Director Debbie Kessler. “We were very pleased.”
The one issue found for the EED involved work orders. Auditors found work orders from before 2011 did not consistently have a list of actual materials used or a signature from the EED general manager.
Two others that were begun before 2011 were listed as major work orders when they should not have been. Kessler said these projects including installation of replacement windows and construction of a new parking lot; a major work order would be a larger project, such as a new substation.
Kessler said the issue had been addressed and that all documentation and signatures would be included with work orders moving forward. She added employees would pay more attention to how work orders were classified.
Regarding the overall financial situation in the city, Kessler said the city was in good shape.
The city’s total assets increased to $167,354,402 from $161,590,068 last year. The total liabilities increased to $79,396,519 from $73,761,639 in 2013.
Some of the highlights from the year listed in the audit included the $5,450,000 bond for the Elizabethton City School system for the new athletic complex and band room at Elizabethton High School; $175,000 for intersection improvements at East Elk Avenue and Sycamore Street, canopy improvements in downtown and $250,000 for the city’s portion of the new Elizabethton/Carter County Animal Shelter building.
According to the audit, the city invested $119,021,114 in capital improvements in the city including new heavy equipment, vehicles, heating systems, filtration systems and other needs throughout the city’s departments.
Kessler said she was pleased the city could take so many steps to make improvements and plan for the city’s future needs. She specifically mentioned the canopy improvements over sidewalks along E Elk Avenue and the paving in the East Elk Avenue and Sycamore Street intersection.
“The fact that we were able to make those improvements downtown is a positive for us,” she said.
Kessler said she would like to see the audit continue to improve each year, to have no findings for all of the city’s funds.
“Really, it was a good audit,” she said. “We are definitely going to work to make sure we continue to have good audits.”