Auditor heaps praise on Rocky Top for financial report
Rocky Top received a “clean opinion” on its outside audit for fiscal year 2022 from auditor Richard Hill during last Thursday’s City Council meeting.
Hill praised City Manager Michael Foster and City Recorder Kari Bates for the city’s financial good health. Coincidentally, both Bates and Foster are leaving their positions with the city in March.
Hill said the audit for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2022, showed “no [negative] findings or recommendations” for the fourth year in a row.
He said the city ended the year $2.5 million in the black, with assets of about 50 percent of the general fund balance – way above the state average of about 25 percent for municipalities.
The auditor also praised the city for its compliance with all state environmental regulations covering its water and sewer systems.
That’s in contrast with the nearby city of Norris, whose auditor last week found five “material errors” in its annual audit, including two within that city’s water-sewer utilities.
Norris is under a state mandate to spend up to $7 million to fix environmental violations with its sewer system and treatment plant that the audit noted will be a blemish on the city’s financial reports for the next several years.
Rocky Top was able to avoid such problems through the efforts of Foster to oversee a massive upgrade to its aging sewer system that is now well underway, and which came before state environmental regulators found any issues with the system.
In other business during the Feb. 16 meeting:
• Foster told the council that the city has begun distributing the special plastic garbage cans that must be used with the city’s new automated garbage truck, which is expected to begin picking up garbage March 1.
He also said the city has again set the annual spring cleanup to be held throughout the month of March. During the month, special pickups will be made at least twice to collect refuse people have gathered that isn’t suitable for regular weekly garbage service.
• Public Safety Director Jim Shetterly told the council that the city has received an $89,000 grant for new radios and other equipment for the Police Department. The grant does not require a local match of funds, he said.
• Councilman Zack Green told the council that the city’s Recreation Committee had tentatively set the city’s 2023 Independence Day celebration for Friday evening, June 30, because July 4 falls on a Tuesday this year.
He said this follows last year’s celebration of Independence Day on the Friday before July 4 because the actual holiday occurred on a Monday.
Some residents attending the meeting took issue with the plan, insisting that the Independence Day activities take place on July 4.
Green, who is vice chairman of the Recreation Committee, said that the date possibly could be changed to July 4, but that doing so would rule out having a fireworks display as part of the celebration.
Fireworks vendors are not available for July 4, but are able to provide a display on June 30, he said.
• The council approved fundraising “boot drive” roadblock events for the Rocky Top House of Prayer and Praise youth group on Saturday, April 22; and for the Medford Volunteer Fire Department on Saturday, June 3.
• Mayor Templin asked for volunteers to submit their applications to fill vacant spots on the city’s Tree Committee to serve though 2024, and on the Recreation Committee through 2025.
Each committee has an opening.