OPINION
Fulton County Jail is at a crossroads ► PAGE 26
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Independent auditor gives city high marks By HAYDEN SUMLIN hayden@appenmedia.com
ALEX ANTEAU/APPEN MEDIA
Maj. Gen. William “Bill” Dyer III gives the keynote address at Milton’s Memorial Day ceremony May 27.
Milton honors fallen soldiers at Memorial Day service By ALEX ANTEAU newsroom@appenmedia.com MILTON, Ga. — Accompanied by early morning storms, crowds gathered at Milton City Hall May 27 for the city’s annual Memorial Day tribute. “We have a saying in the military, ‘That which does not kill you makes you stronger,’” said retired Army Col. Nick Satriano, Milton Veterans Memorial Marker Association chairman. “Given the weather today, I think we
all consider ourselves a heck of a lot stronger than when we woke up this morning…Thank you for your dedication.” A crowd nearly 200, including police officers, firefighters, Boy Scouts and veterans, assembled in the auditorium. The Milton Public Safety Honor Guard kicked off the ceremony with the presentation of colors and Cambrige High School graduate Solo Lowit performed the national anthem.
See HONOR, Page 22
MILTON, Ga. — An independent certified public accountant lauded Milton’s comprehensive financial report for fiscal year 2023, saying city staff deserve a big pat on the back. Milton’s 2023 fiscal year ran from Oct. 1, 2022, through Sept. 30, 2023. State law requires independent audits of the financial affairs of all funds and activities of local governments for each fiscal year. Adam Fraley, a certified public accountant and partner with Mauldin & Jenkins, gave positive feedback on the city’s financial statements at the May 20 City Council meeting. “We issue an audit opinion on those financial statements,” Fraley said. “Our opinion for the year ending Sept. 30, 2023, was an unmodified audit report; we often call that a ‘clean opinion.’” Fraley said the city goes above and beyond the minimum requirements in financial reporting by providing information about operational trends, a breakdown of city employee structure and statistics going back 10 years. Other elements of the city’s report include a narrative describing financial statements and an assessment of economic conditions, which helps laypeople wrap their heads around a complex public document. “This goes above and beyond what is state law,” Fraley said. “It’s a fantastic document … a lot of time and effort by the city’s Finance Department and others outside of finance putting that together.” He also added that most local governments in the United States do not complete an annual comprehensive financial report, or ACFR, which the city has done since its first full year in 2007. “Independence is the cornerstone of what we do,” Fraley said. “We have to maintain our independence in conducting the audit.” An ACFR is submitted to the Government Finance
See AUDIT, Page 23
Caroline Nalisnick C: 404.513.9226 | Caroline@HOMEgeorgia.com
Sam DiVito C: 404.803.5999 | Sam@HOMEgeorgia.com
Allison Kloster C: 404.784.5287 | Allison@HOMEgeorgia.com