Camden finance director helps the city attain positive audit

Walk into Camden Finance Director Glynn Jones's small office any given day and there are number-filled spreadsheets and thick binders everywhere.

Ask him about overtime numbers or the most recent tax rates and he can somehow dig up a chart among the piles of paper in just a couple minutes and fully explain the rows of numbers listed.

That's kind of organization skills that Mayor Dana Redd credits with giving Camden some good news earlier this week.

The city's independent audit report for fiscal year 2011, which ended in June, came back with an unqualified opinion, which in audit speak means things are going well  in Camden's finance department. To give an unqualified opinion Bowman & Company must have found that accounting rules were followed properly and the city's financial reports are accurate.

"I am extremely proud of the hard work my Administration has done to not only improve our financial and fiscal footing, but also earn the respect of many," Camden Mayor Dana Redd said in a statement. "Our Finance Department, under the management of Director Jones, has once again proven that Camden is truly working towards becoming more fiscally responsible."

The unqualified opinion is a first in many years, according to the city and auditors. And while there were still some findings listed and recommendations for improvement, some were as minor as "there were ten traffic tickets and three complaints that were unavailable for inspection."

One finding that constantly comes up in the city's audit is its grant management. For example, "in the City's Federal and State Grant Fund, there exists several aged unexpended grant appropriated reserve balances and aged receivable balances which had limited or no apparent activity during the fiscal year."

But overall, the audit reflected a positive note for Camden, according to the audit company.

"Over the past few years, there has been noticeable effort made by the finance department, and related personnel, which has resulted in the improvement of the financial records of the City," said Bowman & Company  auditor L. Jarred Corn in a statement.

Moody's Investor Services released a finding in December that stated that the City maintained its Ba2 rating and was not downgraded like other municipalities in the state. Moody's also stated that the City's liquidity remained sufficient, despite delayed State aid disbursement and fundamental general obligation.