Positive financial news led the agenda at last night’s Laurens County Council meeting. The County’s financial audit for the fiscal year that ended last June was presented to council by CPA Laurie Smith, showing that the county is once again in sound financial shape. According to the audit, the county has a total contingency fund of just under $9.2 million, or about 29% of the $31.9 million budget. Financial advisors suggest the county hold 25% in reserve for contingencies, and the county has been working to accumulate that for the past several years.
Councilman Joe Wood asked Smith why economic development figures were not included in the statement. She replied that those figures were not necessary but Woods commented that, “It doesn’t seem complete to me.”
Council Chairman Jim Coleman addressed the delay in completion of the audit to that fact that the county was trying to merge two systems into one.
County Administrator Ernie Segars, Auditor Laurie Smith and Chairman Jim Coleman all agreed that the bottom line was that the county is in good financial condition.