An audit of James City County’s books between July 2013 and June 2014 revealed two issues related to the disclosure of financial interests by a member of a county board and a deposit of cash into an account.
The firm which conducted the audit, Dixon, Hughes & Goodman, detected no other compliance issues with state law or problems with the way the county manages its finances. The firm gave the county what is known as an unmodified report, which is the highest result an audit of the county can produce.
In both cases, the county was out of compliance with the Code of Virginia.
A member of the county’s Economic Development Authority — a board that works to lure businesses to the county and offers low interest, tax-free bonds — did not file on time a list of financial interests, such as businesses and property with which that board member has involvement. The audit did not disclose the identity of the member who did not file the document on time.
The other issue came from the Williamsburg-James City Sheriff’s Office. State law requires the sheriff’s office to deposit all collections it makes into the sheriff’s office bank account within one business day once more than $200 has been collected. The auditor found the sheriff’s office once allowed more than $200 to accrue and did not deposit it within the required time frame.
The county has taken steps to ensure neither will happen again, according to its financial report for the time period the audit covered.
During the year audited by the firm, the county’s AAA bond rating was reaffirmed by Standard & Poor’s. The rating, which is the highest available, factors into what the county must pay for bonds used to fund construction projects.
The county took in more money than expected during the audit year. An additional $1.29 million of revenue was collected, 0.8 percent higher than was forecast when the budget was planned before the year started. That brought the total to $203.78 million collected in taxes, charges for service, grants and other sources. The county spent $196.01 million during the course of the year.
The figures represent a 2.2 percent increase in revenue above what was collected between June 2012 and July 2013. A report from County Administrator Bryan Hill and the late Director of Finance and Management Services John McDonald says revenues are expected to climb an additional 2.2 percent during the current year.
The county uses the revenue to fund its numerous programs, from schools to law enforcement to fire and emergency services.
