The July 8 Blanco City Council meeting included an in-depth presentation of the annual financial audit report for the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2024.
The city received an unmodified opinion “free of materially misstatements,” which is the highest grade for this type of audit. Crowe LLP absorbed the firm of Belt Harris Pechacek, which had performed Blanco’s audits in the past. As a result, Ben Cohen, a representative from the firm, gave a fairly detailed presentation of the findings of the audit. A few highlights included an overview of the city’s fund balance, consistency of the budget to expenses, and some areas of improvements for the future. He mentioned that the city’s bonds and grants will require robust internal controls and also said that Blanco’s finance director, Jose Martinez, has objectives for the coming year including structuring the chart of accounts so more “live data” can be accessed Jerry Hendrix of SPI walked the council through the city’s current Water Conservation Plan and Drought Contingency Plan. The plan is required as part of the PIF the city received from Texas Water Development Board. The goal is also to make sure the plan coordinates with Texas Water Company and the Guadalupe Blanco River Authority’s guidance on drought stages and related restrictions.
Council members had questions for Hendrix, specifically council member Bobby Mack-McClung on certain “triggers” which set drought stages, and the timelines for moving from stage to stage. The plan will continue to be refined and will be brought back to the council for a vote at a future meeting.
