Elkins Annual Audit Returns Eighth Unmodified Opinion in a Row
City Has Received “Clean” Audit Opinions Every Year Since 2012
Elkins W. Va., March 26, 2020: At tonight’s council meeting, Elkins Treasurer Tracy Judy reported that the city’s annual audit resulted in an unmodified opinion. State law requires West Virginia cities to undergo annual audits and publish the results. This audit, of the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2019, was performed by accountants working for BHM CPA Group, an Ohio-based public accounting firm with offices in Huntington, West Virginia.
The purpose of a municipal audit is to systematically examine the sources and uses of public funds. Auditors evaluate the accuracy of financial records, the effectiveness of systems protecting against fraud and theft, the nature of accounting methods and processes in use at the city, and other aspects of compliance with state law and government accounting standards.
“An audit examines our financial records to confirm they are accurate,” said Judy. “The auditors review our transactions, financial statements, grants, bank statements, and other records for all city funds for the given fiscal year. “
The unmodified opinion the city received is the best result an audit can return. Sometimes also referred to as an “unqualified” or “clean” opinion, an unmodified opinion indicates that auditors have found no misrepresentations of fact or failures to follow appropriate accounting standards. Elkins has received unmodified opinions in each of its annual audits since the fiscal year ending in 2012.
The audit process begins each summer with a letter from the state auditor authorizing cities to begin the process of procuring an audit firm. The city’s Audit Committee then solicits and evaluates proposals from CPA firms interested in providing this service. The evaluation process uses a score sheet published by the state auditor to assign points to the firms that submit proposals. The firm with the highest score is then selected to perform the city’s audit.
“Receiving an unmodified opinion is a good confirmation of our daily practices and confirms to the city and its citizens that those practices are valid,” says Judy. “A good audit opinion is also important when the city is seeking loans or other financing, because lenders use our annual audits to assess risk and calculate interest rates.”
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Alerts
10/17: River Street Boil Water Advisory Lifted
River Street boil water advisory has been lifted. More info here.
10/15: Edgewater Boil Water Advisory Lifted
The Edgewater boil water advisory has been lifted. Lab tests detected no contamination in our sample. Thank you for your patience.
10/14: 13th Street Sinkhole Repair
13th St. closed between S. Henry and Cole for repair of a sink hole. Please choose alternate route.
2021 Trick-or-Treating
By council resolution, Halloween trick-or-treating is observed every year on Oct. 31, 6:30-8:00 p.m.
Downtown Halloween activities are coordinated by Elkins Main Street, not City of Elkins.
2021 Street Sweeper Season Ends 10/14
Thursday, Oct. 14 is the final day of the 2021 street-sweeper season. Street-sweeper parking restrictions will not be enforced after this date. The street sweeper will then shift to supporting leaf-pickup operations, but it will no longer be necessary to move vehicles. Watch for announcements in the spring for the start date of the 2022 street-sweeper season.
Fall Leaf Pickup
Fall leaf pickup begins Monday, Oct. 4 and continues throughout fall. More information here.
Payment drop box location change
Due to the City Hall Parking Lot Project work, the payment drop box has been moved to Fourth Street. The box is located at the yellow curb line just beyond the handicap parking spot next to City Hall on Fourth Street.
2021 Street Sweeper Schedule
Street sweeping began 4/19. More info here.
Coronavirus Information
For information about coronavirus response and precautions in Elkins, click here.
