City Given Clean Audit by Independent Firm

City Commissioners unanimously approved the 2021 fiscal year audit report during Monday’s meeting, after hearing Stacey Hammons of BT & Co. Certified Public Accountants deliver an unmodified opinion, which is the best possible outcome.

The audit is performed in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards in the United States, standards contained in Government Auditing Standards issued by the Comptroller General of the United States and the Kansas Municipal Audit and Accounting Guide. It is the role of the auditor to determine if the city’s financial statements are accurately representative of the city’s financial position, and that the city has proper policies and protections in place to ensure the accurate financial reporting of city business.

“We are pleased that the auditors found that we are doing our due diligence with taxpayer funds,” City Manager Amy Finch said. “A clean audit only happens when you have the right processes and people to carry out those processes – and the people we have here are doing a great job.”

In other action Monday, commissioners approved the demolition of 813 Unity Street, but extended the deadline to 90 days for the property owner to bring the property up to code or return to the commission with a comprehensive plan for saving the structure. Commissioners tabled the 2023 Joint Communications Budget and 2023 County Solid Waste Budget until the next meeting and approved an extra $58,985 for litigation related to the Atchison County Sheriff’s appeal of a lawsuit in which the City prevailed regarding the denial of inmates at the Atchison County Jail.

Commissioners also approved the 2022-2023 city attorney/city prosecutor employment contract with current City Attorney Robert Campbell, approved a resolution deeding property at 1816 N. Second St. to Valley Hope, approved a couple of easements as part of the Evergy/Forest Park Avenue project, and approved a month-to-month contract with Matt Rich to provide indigent defense services for Municipal Court. Commissioners also approved the 2022 Emergency Solution Grant application.

A demolition hearing and demolition resolution for 927 Mound Street was scratched from the agenda after the property owner had the unsafe structure demolished over the past weekend.

There will be a special city commission meeting at 4:30 p.m. on Monday, June 27, for the purposes of having a budget workshop – and will consider the joint communications and solid waste budgets then. The meeting will either take place in the commission room or the conference room, depending on remodeling progress currently underway in the commission room.