Crockett ISD Receives Unmodified Audit Opinion
Tax Delinquency Presentation Given to Board
By Will Johnson
Messenger Reporter
CROCKETT – The Crockett ISD Board of Trustees met in a regularly scheduled meeting on Monday, Dec. 14 highlighted by a discussion of several financial matters.
As the actionable item portion of the meeting got underway, Crockett ISD Superintendent John Emerich introduced James Guest and Kathy Harris with the legal firm of Linebarger, Goggan, Blair and Sampson, LLP to provide a presentation on the district’s delinquent tax roll.
Guest explained the collection process and said it started with correspondence followed by letters stating the firm’s intent to sue if payment was not collected.
“If the letters do not work,” he said, “that is when we start the litigation process. In this past year, we filed six new lawsuits regarding nine accounts. We also dismissed six lawsuits, which happens when the accounts are paid.”
Guest added his firm also conducted tax sales of 19 tracts.
Following the delinquent tax presentation, the superintendent provided the board with an update on COVID-19.
“It used to be if we had to quarantine a teacher or a student, we would have to send them home for 14 days. There was no wiggle room in that but they changed it now to where folks can come back after 10 days or if they are tested and are negative, they can come back after seven (days),” Emerich said.
The next item brought forward was the adoption of a resolution authorizing the issuance of CISD unlimited tax refunding bonds and establishing procedures for the sale of the bonds.
Lucas Janda with Live Oak Financial was on hand to walk the board members through the agenda item.
“Essentially, you have two different series of bonds, 2012 and 2013. Each of those carry a three-and-a-half to four-and-a-half percent interest rate. With the low interest at present, the order before you gives us the ability to explore what efficiencies are available to the district to lower the interest cost and re-structure them,” Janda said.
He said his company would continue to watch the bonds over the holidays, but if the district chose to restructure the bonds, Janda felt he could shave a couple of years off of the bond and save over $900,000.
After several other matters had been disposed of, CPA Molly Abele with the accounting firm of Axley & Rode, LLP presented the board with the district’s 2019-2020 Financial Audit.
“We will start on page five with our audit opinion. We are issuing an unmodified opinion which states that everything is presented fairly in all materiel respects,” she said. “I would like you to glance at page nine for just a moment. This is the only place in the report which compares this year to last year. Overall, this includes you debt and assets district wide, you ending net position is just over $5.4 million and you had an increase in your net position of just over $800,000.”
In other matters brought before the board:
- Consent agenda items were approved.
- Approval for payment to A-1 National Fire Co. LLC for the Fire Alarm Project.
- The summer feeding program received approval from the board.
- A bid to repair the Generac Generator was approved.
- The Crockett Elementary Targeted Improvement Plan first cycle progress was approved.
Will Johnson may be contacted via e-mail at [email protected].
