Carthage’s finances are healthy and the books are being kept in accordance with all the rules and regulations that govern city governments and how they spend and track their money.
That was the report by Andy Marmouget, CPA with Davis Lynn and Moots, at Tuesday’s Carthage City Council meeting.
“Our audit went very well, the city received a very good audit report and the city, financially, is doing well,” Marmouget said after summarizing his audit report to the city leaders.
“This is an outstanding audit and they have continued to improve every year,” added Carthage Mayor Mike Harris, praising the city staff that keeps the books. “I think we’re getting to the point where it’s going to be difficult to exceed where we’re at.”
Marmouget noted no material weaknesses in the management of the city’s finances and no cases of non-compliance with the laws and regulations governing contracts and grant money.
In his report to the city, Carthage Police Chief Greg Dagnan talked about the recently completed police annual report for 2011.
He said the report shows that the department’s Team Policing project had reduced calls for service by 32 percent in the first area that was covered and 47 percent in the second area.
He noted that larcenies in the city were down to 2007 levels, down by 33 percent compared to 2010.
Traffic accidents dropped by 12 percent in 2011.
Dagnan said while the number of calls for service are up by 40 percent over 2007, crime is still down.
City Clerk Lynn Campbell swore in two new patrol officers, Arik Smith and Daniel Fox at Tuesday’s meeting.
Carthage Fire Chief Chris Thompson reported that the Steadley Trust had agreed to give the city a grant for $100,000 to pay the cost of repairing a damaged fire engine and turning it into a dedicated tanker. This is the engine that was damaged in October in a traffic crash on U.S. Highway 71.
Thompson said he and his staff were working up specifications for new tornado sirens and a new fire truck, both of which would be discussed at a special meeting of the council’s Public Safety Committee on Monday.
