CHIMACUM — During a special meeting with auditors from the state Auditor’s Office, Jefferson County Public Utility District No. 1 received a clean audit for the second year running.
On Jan. 8, lead auditor Kendra Huson, audit supervisor Amy Strzalka, and audit manager Carol Ehlinger issued “unmodified opinions” on the PUD’s 2016 financial statement audit and its 2-year (2015-16) accountability audit, according to a news release.
Auditors were on site at the utility district for more than one month to complete the audit.
Assistant general manager Kevin Streett praised staff for the improvements made and credited interim chief financial officer Tammy Lehman, now on her second stint with the PUD, for the turnaround.
Streett credits utility’s board for taking seriously the findings of prior audits and hiring the accounting firm Moss Adams LLP to help provide additional oversight to the district.
“There were concerns at the time about the expense of the additional oversight, but we can see today that it was money well spent,” said Wayne King, District No. 3 commissioner, who had made the original motion to hire the firm in 2016.
In the draft report presented to the district, the state audit team offered up a list of further improvements the district could make, but Auditor Strzalka noted that there were no material misstatements made by management.
The full audit report is available at portal.sao.wa.gov.