Vic Slaven, a certified public accountant with Kolder, Slaven, and Co., LLC, reported to the Evangeline Parish Police Jury on its audit for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2018, during the jury’s meeting Monday.
Slaven told the jury “it is a clean report and an unmodified opinion.” He added, “Everything is good.”
According to the balance sheet, the police jury had total assets of $2,232,591.00 in the general fund as of December 31, 2018. Of that amount, $1,153,364.00 was in cash and interest bearing deposits, $1,367.00 was in net receivables, $78,394.00 was due from other funds, $990,429.00 was due from other governmental units, and $9,037.00 was from other assets.
Total liabilities as of that same date were in the amount of $574,620.00 Of that amount, $242,252.00 went to accounts, salaries, and other payables; $332,318.00 went to performance bonds payable; and $50.00 went to deposits payable.
Unavailable revenue in property taxes was in the amount of $49,599.00.
When factoring in the assets and liabilities, Slaven told the jury, “you have a beginning fund balance for January 1, 2019, in the amount of $1,608,372.00.” He added, “That is a surplus in the general fund to be used at your discretion.”
A break down of the revenues and expenditures is as follows:
Revenues
Ad valorem taxes- $809,818
Licenses and permits- $432,613
Federal grants- $37,886
State revenue sharing- $40,104
Parish equalization funds- $1,211,815
Other- $137,080
Fees, charges, and commissions- 47,530
Use of money and property- $50,703
Miscellaneous- $363,921
Total- $3,131,470
Expenditures
Legislative- $250,232
Judicial- $148,423
Elections- $100,130
Finance and administration- $610,090
Other- $396,561
Public safety- $840,634
Economic development and assistance- $71,668
Total- $2,417,738
When factoring in the revenues and expenditures, the jury ended the fiscal year with an excess of $713,732.00. It then transferred out $791,073.00, which resulted in a negative net change in the fund balance of $791,073.00. However, as Slaven explained, the jury still ended the previous fiscal year with an ending fund balance of $1,608,372.00 which was down from the beginning fund balance of $1,685,713.00
Slaven then went on to report on the findings in the audit report. The first two of which are segregation of duties and financial reporting, however, Slaven acknowledged it is not feasible for the jury to have complete segregation of duties because of its limited staff and acknowledged the jury has agreed to continue outsourcing its financial reporting process to external auditors.
Another finding in the report deals with the collection of sewer system charges regarding the system in Ward 1 in accordance with Section 10 of an approved police jury resolution.
According to Slaven and the management response found in the audit report, the jury will begin turning the delinquent accounts over to a collection agency “by attaching the debt to the customer’s state tax return, driver’s license, permits, and hunting and fishing licenses.
The final finding in the report showed the police jury “exceeded budgeted expenditures by five percent or more in the Industrial District No. 1 Fund. As Slaven explained, the jury “changed by 5.1 percent, and the magic number is five percent.”
Slaven concluded his report by saying, “I think the jury is doing a fine job. If you continue to do what you’re doing, I think everything will be great.”
In other business, the police jury:
• was updated on the status of the retention pond project.
• heard a report from Rapides Area Planning Commission on new construction in the parish.
• reappointed Faye Langley to the Library Board of review.