Город Моргантаун получил чистое заключение по финансовому аудиту и готовит исследование парковки

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The City of Morgantown was given positive feedback on its most recent financial audit while plans are in place to study potential changes to city parking. Morgantown Interim Finance Director Jennifer Street presented details of the Fiscal Year 2025 audit conducted by the BHM CPA Group during the city council’s regular meeting Tuesday, where it was reported that the city presented “the respective financial position of governmental activities” fairly and cleanly, with an exception for a delay in timing. The audit accounted for revenues and expenditures for the city and four of the six city ‘component units’ and covered approximately $115 million in combined primary government assets and approximately $54.8 million in assets related to BOPARC, the Morgantown Parking Authority, the Municipal Building Commission, and the City Land Reuse and Preservation Agency. “We received an unmodified clean audit opinion with no material weaknesses or significant deficiencies that were identified,” said Street. “And the only minor compliance issue was the timeliness due to staff turnover.” According to the report, the Fiscal Year 2025 audit for the City of Morgantown accounted for all revenues and expenditures for major city departments with the exception of the Morgantown Public Library and the Morgantown Utility Board. In the report, the city reported approximately $169 million in total liabilities, with approximately $113 million allocated to pension obligations over the next several years (approximately $42.5 million in deferred inflows for police and fire pensions is included). The audit also reported clean sheets related to city revenues, which were reported at around $41.1 million for FY25, with the only issue being the timely submission of the numbers themselves. “The delay was due to unanticipated turnover of key financial department personnel in the spring of 2025,” said Street. “The city’s corrective action included appointing a new finance director and promoting the compliance manager to assistant finance director.” Morgantown Deputy Mayor Mark Downs announced toward the end of the city council’s regular meeting on Tuesday that the Morgantown Parking Authority Board is preparing to approve a citywide parking study for the first time since 1985. This decision to move forward with a study was in coordination with city officials during meetings with the board earlier in the summer. “It’s a very good organization, a very well-run organization, but 41 years is too long to wait,” said Downs on the need for the study. “So we’re going to refresh that and see what comes out of that, and I’m looking forward to how that may influence decisioning around parking operations.” Kay, Casto, and Chaney attorney representing the city, Ryan Simonton, announced during Tuesday’s meeting that details for the agreement with the West Virginia Department of Highways to transfer city-owned real estate adjacent to Green Bag Road for an improvement project are expected to be finalized on Thursday. The final contract is still subject to council approval. “Our schedule is to finalize the transfer of the city’s property to DOH for the Green Bag Road Improvement Project on Thursday of this week, subject to the prior approval of the council,” said Simonton. “Development Services and their consultant, Wendy Moeller, with Compass Point Planning, will be assisting them with the legal review of that.” The Morgantown City Council also conducted preliminary interviews in executive session with Gail Taylor and Mary S. (Mimi) Wilson, two 7th Ward residents who applied to take over the vacant council seat left open by former councilor Brian Butcher, who resigned due to a family move. The city may conduct a second round of interviews, with a vote expected to take place by the end of September.