MANSFIELD – A recent financial audit of the City of Mansfield for the fiscal year ended 2016 by the Auditor of State’s office has returned a clean audit report.
Mansfield’s record keeping performance has earned it the Auditor of State Award with Distinction.
“When I sought election as Director of Finance for Mansfield, my primary goal was to improve Mansfield’s Financial Stability and Sustainability,” Finance Director Linn Steward said. “This is accomplished by developing and following sound financial policies and spending plans.
“This recognition acknowledges our commitment to that end. Recent Moody’s Investor reports have also recognized our adoption of financial policies, aimed at strengthening the long-term fiscal health of the city, by continuing to upgrade Mansfield’s Credit Rating.”
The Auditor of State Award with Distinction is esteemed recognition presented to entities that meet the following criteria of a “clean” audit:
The entity must file timely financial reports with the Auditor of State’s Office in accordance with GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles);
The audit report does not contain any findings for recovery, material citations, material weaknesses, significant deficiencies, Single Audit findings or questioned costs;
The entity’s management letter contains no comments related to:
Ethics referrals
Questioned costs less than $10,000
Lack of timely report submission
Reconciliation
Failure to obtain a timely Single Audit
Findings for recovery less than $100
Public meetings or public records
“I appreciate the good work and integrity of all the City’s employees as it takes all of us striving for excellence for the city to achieve an award such as this,” Steward said.
In August of last year Steward also initiated the OpenGov project to make Mansfield’s finances more easily accessible and understandable to the public.
“The goal is to increase transparency by providing open access to the public. They can see all of the City’s revenue from taxes to fees and follow the money to see how and where it is spent.”
The site includes all “checkbook” expenses. Payroll information is now available for 2016 and 2017 payroll information will be uploaded to OpenGov soon.
The platform also allows residents to view the annual budget, budget-to-actual spending and retrieve answers to frequently asked questions.
The public is invited to explore the Mansfield’s Financial Transparency platform found on the main page of the City of Mansfield web site or directly at: http://ci.mansfield.oh.us/financial-transparency.html
