AUDITOR: NEILLSVILLE "VERY HEALTHY"
Wednesday, March 29th, 2006 -- 8:19 AM
Audio - 1:01The Neillsville City Council received good news via their annual audit report Tuesday.
Michael Lensmire of Clifton Gunderson gave his annual ?cliff notes? version of the accounting firm?s look into Neillsville?s Fiscal Year 2005.
He called it a ?break even year?, but noted the City enjoys an atypically large cash reserve relative to their revenue and expenditures.
?That?s not typical, you?re on the high-side,? Lensmire said of the $3-million reserve - nearly 100% of the overall budget. ?That?s not to say tomorrow you?ll be there as well. Tax base locally may be affected by major employers. Those reserves now look good, but could be gone quickly.?
Another highlight of the audit is the good performance of the City?s water and sewer utilities. The utilities have notoriously struggled to meet their goal of self-sufficiency, but that changed in 2005 thanks to a couple rate adjustments.
?You have broke even now on all the utilities. With the rates in place, they have been cash-flowing very positively,? Lensmire said.
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