City of Warner Robins 2015 Audit Report

City of Warner Robins 2015 Audit Report

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City of Warner Robins 2015 Audit Report

The City of Warner Robins in Georgia completes an annual financial audit report that outlines its financial situation. This document is available in the city’s website as well as other related online sites that could be accessed by the public. Within the same website, the public could also access the same financial reports for previous years dating back to 2011, 2012 and 2014.

There is a close comparison between the City of Warner Robins financial report and the document by Robert Bland in terms of their core subject matter: the financial situation of the communities. One of the similarities between the two documents is the inclusion of a diverse list of stakeholders in the papers. In the City of Warner Robins financial audit, the activities of governmental contributions, civic authorities, and other private institutions are covered extensively (Vogt, 2004). The role played by the mayor’s office is mentioned on numerous occasions within the document. Conversely, the document by Bland and Rubin covered the factors that affect finances in the local government. Most of the elements covered in chapter nine and ten of the book concentrate on the financial processes within this particular public department. This difference in the document makes the Bland document less comprehensive compared to the Warner Robins audit. The latter document is very difficult to study and comprehend.

One striking result is the slight drop in the overall government and business current assets from $70,000 to around $69,000 (Melkers & Willoughby, 2005). This translated into approximately $10,000 drop in the total net position, a worrying trend for the city. The latest community audit revealed several aspects. One of them is that the accounting standards have changed dramatically to incorporate different net pension liabilities as well as other related elements. The financial statement was presented in a fair manner to respect the demands of different stakeholders. The audit was generally accurate, limited in new findings and devoid of discrepancies. The issue of risk management appears as a considerable one that raises significant alarms.  The city is exposed to a wide range of financial risks including employee compensation, asset destruction and natural disasters that are handled through an agency, Georgia Interlocal Risk Management Agency (GIRMA). This department suffers from significant bureaucracy, waste and understaffing. These issues appear in the financial audit. Most of the problems from the financial audit of the previous year were resolved in the course of the next year. The City of Warner Robins was suffering from issues of deferred compensation, period adjustment and restatement as well as internal politics.

It was relatively easy to comprehend the contents of the City of Warner Robins regardless of the caliber of the audience. The document is particularly comprehensible from the point of view of an interested citizen. The choice of vocabulary, the layout of the different sections and the coverage of the different financial topics were intentionally designed to ensure that all the affected and interested parties could understand the new information as well as the changes (Bland & Rubin, 1997).  However, people with limited education and understanding of macro-economic elements including local authority funding and the distribution of financial responsibilities will definitely have a hard time studying the document. It is covered with difficult jargon that describes the current situation in the city’s offices. This document is very complicated to the ordinary citizen. Consequently, it implies that the audit report may be effective but the majority of its beneficiaries will not understand it immediately.

References

Bland, R. L., & Rubin, I. (1997). Budgeting: A guide for local governments. Intl City County Management Assn.

Melkers, J., & Willoughby, K. (2005). Models of performance‐measurement use in local governments: Understanding budgeting, communication, and lasting effects. Public Administration Review, 65(2), 180-190.

Vogt, A. J. (2004). Capital budgeting and finance: A guide for local governments. Washington, DC: International City/County Management Association.