St. Martinville ‘moving in right direction’ with audit report
Published 9:52 am Wednesday, February 8, 2023
- From left, council member Jonas Fontenette, Mike Fuselier and Mayor Jason Willis listen to the audit report at Monday's council meeting.
The City of St. Martinville received good news in regards to its financial status following an audit report at Monday’s meeting.
Burton Kolder with Kolder, Slaven & Company LLC. presented the highlights of a 95-page report at the meeting where he presented some of the highlights of the past fiscal year.
Kolder said he was surprised with the turnout of the audit, considering the extent of listed findings that were needed in recent past years.
“I didn’t expect it to be what it is,” Kolder said. “In 2020 we had 35 findings, last year we had 32 and this year we’re down to 21. That’s a great thing.”
Kolder added that after speaking to the mayor and administration, he learned that an additional eight of the findings presented were already in the process of being corrected.
“That leaves us with 13 in the process of being corrected,” he said.
The audit report, which will be released to the public in the coming weeks, also detailed the state of St. Martinville government’s utility funds, including sewer, water and electric departments.
Kolder also provided a framework for the utility fund in comparison to municipalities of similar sizes. The average St. Martinville consumer of electric services, for instance, paid $149 per month, while Alexandria paid $250, Morgan City paid $256 and Lafayette paid $212.
“You’re definitely on the right track,” Kolder said.
In other business, a representative from Woodsmen of the World addressed the council to announce a financial commitment of $162,000 for the city’s police department.
Field Representative Jimmy Johnstone with Woodsmen of the World said the group had made the decision to collaborate with the St. Martinville Police Department after a suggestion from a group member.
“We met with Mayor (Jason) Willis and Chief (Ricky) Martin, and we didn’t realize how dire the situation was for new equipment,” Johnstone said.
The assistance in police equipment will be doled out over the years and Johnstone said the not-for-profit organization is working with the police department to determine the necessary projects.
