Jasper gets good report from auditor

JASPER, Tenn. — The top concern for most city administrators is the annual audit report, because it’s either a confirmation they are handling a town’s finances properly or a condemnation of their work.

At the March meeting of the Jasper Board of Mayor and Aldermen, city leaders’ efforts were validated, not just for the last fiscal year but for past decades.

Paul Johnson, with Johnson, Murphey & Wright in Chattanooga, said he couldn’t be prouder of the financial work Jasper has done.

The town’s audit report for the 2015 fiscal year reflects “not only what happened in the last year, but what’s happened the last 20 years in town,” he said.

In 2014, Jasper took in $ 1.7 million in revenue, but during the last fiscal year that increased to $1.9 million. Expenditures, though, remained almost the same.

“This year, we have a change in net assets of $ 307,000,” Johnson said. “So I was real thrilled to see that.”

The town’s business activities, such as its water and sewer systems, saw an increase in revenue from $2.2 million in 2014 to $2.5 million in 2015.

“The biggest reason they were up was capital grants and contributions,” Johnson said. “It means the city has been able to take advantage of a lot of federal grant programs to have those funds come in. That’s free money for us, which allows us to do a lot of projects.”

Business activ i ty expenses were down by about $ 32,000 last year, he said.

According to the report, Jasper has $3.2 million in governmental assets and $494,000 in liabilities. On the business side, there are $14 million in assets and $3 million in liabilities.

“Wow,” Johnson said. “What a ratio there. It means we have not borrowed a ton of money over the past year to fund things. We’ve kind of paid for things as we’ve gone.”

Alderman Paul “Mac” Bumpus said Mayor Paul Evans is the one who “needs to take the bow” for the audit report.

“He’s doing a great job,” he said. “He really is.”

Evans was reluctant to take full responsibility, and instead said Jasper’s financial success has been a team effort.

“I think this board has done a tremendous job,” he said.

“We just had a great year,” Johnson said. “I’m just real proud of how this town is doing.”

Ryan Lewis is based in Marion County. Contact him at ryanlewis34@ gmail.com.