The City of Emporia is clean in terms of its annual audit report.
The city received a “clean opinion” for the 2020 fiscal year according to a presentation by Michael Keenan of Cochran, Head and Vick & Co. Certified Accountants. Keenan presented the report during the Emporia City Commission’s regular study session Wednesday morning.
According to Keenan, audit reports for entities across the state have been varied over the past year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
City Treasurer Janet Harouff says there were some minor adjustments that needed to be made according to the report due to changes in state reporting standards.
According to Harouff, changes in audit reporting are standard with roughly two to three changes occurring each year.
In other business, commissioners gave direction for city staff to sign and submit a notice that the city will exceed the revenue-neutral rate included in Senate Bill 13. The RNR is the difference between current and past year valuations and does not allow “taxing entities” to have an increase in dollars in the coming fiscal year unless a resolution is passed to exceed the neutral rate by the governing body.
The RNR requires local governments to identify what the total mill rate would be if you assess the exact same total revenue dollars year over year.
Mayor Rob Gilligan says while the decision was unanimous, he’s personally not in favor of the RNR saying it is “confusing paperwork that makes things much more difficult.”
Harouff says that she understands this opinion, however, she feels it will provide more transparency for taxpayers in the future.
The city’s notice to exceed the RNR must be submitted to the Lyon County Clerks Office by next Tuesday, Jul. 20.
The Emporia City Commission is scheduled to reconvene for an action session next Wednesday evening at 7 pm inside the Municipal Courtroom at White Auditorium.
