Foley’s finances continue to get high marks with the city’s annual audit finding municipal finances in good standing.

The Foley City Council recently received the annual audit of city finances by the Warren Averett financial firm. Chris Kiley, senior audit manager with Warren Averett, said the city received the most positive opinion possible following the review.

“We issued a clean, unmodified opinion that your financial statements present fairly in all material respects,” Kiley said. “That is the highest level of assurance we’re allowed to provide.”

Kiley praised the work by Finance Director/Treasurer Miranda Bell and the city finance staff in assisting with the audit and preparing and maintaining Foley finances.

“It’s been a great experience working with Miranda and her staff,” Kiley said. “They did a great job getting everything to me in a timely manner and providing all the audit support. It made everything run efficiently. We really appreciate her and her team for all our audit work during the process.”

Mayor Ralph Hellmich said Foley received several awards recently recognizing city finances and the work done by Bell and the staff.

“Our finance team continues to win awards every year, and it gets back to something that you, you guys, are always being asked about, is transparency. I don’t know how much more transparent you can be when you are counting for every dollar, and you’re also putting it on the website.”

Foley received three national financial awards from the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada for the sixth consecutive year. The GFOA presented the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting, Distinguished Budget Presentation Award and Award for Outstanding Achievement in Popular Annual Financial Report to the Foley Finance Department.

Only five cities in Alabama received all three awards this year, a distinction known as the Triple Crown.

The mayor said that for a city to receive the distinction several years in a row is a major accomplishment.

“What Miranda and her team have done is incredible and deserves congratulations for what y’all do every year,” Hellmich said. “It might not seem as much of a big deal when you keep getting it, but this is really outstanding.”