Fairfield County audit late again; contract workers brought in to help

WINNSBORO – Fairfield County’s Interim County Administrator Clay Killian announced at Monday night’s council meeting that the county audit is going to be late again. He said he has brought in contract financial people to help his financial staff finish out the year and get the books closed.

[Update: In answer to a question from The Voice as to how many contract workers were brought in, Killian responded in an email (that was sent after the paper went to press) that only one contract financial person was brought in to help the county;s financial staff close the books.]

For four consecutive years, the county’s audit has been late.

“We’re going to be late again, obviously,” Killian said when asked during the meeting about the current 2024 audit that was due Jan. 1, 2025. “But, hopefully, not as late as in the past.”

The 2023 audit was not submitted until mid-summer. The 2022 audit was months late and the state withheld $1.4 million of the county’s share of state funding until the audit was submitted. The 2021 audit was also months late.

During the 2023 presentation of the audit of the county’s 2022 financials, the auditor said training and cross training of the county’s staff is vital in minimizing potential delays in preparing future audits.

During the Dec. 11, 2023 county council meeting, then-Interim County Administrator Laura Johnson stated, “The audit is going well,” as she began her audit report.

She next said, however, that it was going to be late again. She said she didn’t know how late, but that it definitely wouldn’t be ready by the Dec. 31, 2023 deadline.

Killian told council the finance department is working on the 2024 audit.

“We’re looking to get some final information to our auditors this week,” Killian said. “I convened with the finance department and the auditors today. They will do as much as they can to expedite it.

“We have an extension until March 31,” he said, “and we hope to have it done by then.”

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