Report aims to make city's finances 'user-friendly'

FINDLAY — Findlay's Auditor's Office has released a new tool to make city finances more user-friendly. The city's "Popular Annual Financial Report," or PAFR, was released by Auditor Jim Staschiak at Findlay Council's regular meeting on July 2. It is available to the public at the city's website: www.findlayohio.gov, and listed on the auditor's page. Information included in the report is based on the city's 2023 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report for the fiscal year that ended Dec. 31. That report is also available on the auditor's website, all 264 pages, including very detailed financial statements, notes, schedules and detailed statistical information. The annual report was prepared following Generally Accepted Accounting Principles and audited by Julian & Grube, Inc., a CPA firm in Westerville. Findlay received an unmodified opinion on the audit, which means that no significant deficiencies were identified that required modification, according to the city auditor's office. The "popular" report, based on the GAAP, is only eight pages long and offers a summary of the budget numbers, along with comparisons to previous years. "The purpose of the PAFR is to provide our citizens with summarized financial data and as a means of increasing awareness and knowledge of the operations of the city," said Staschiak in the report's introduction letter. The new report is a first for the auditor's office and was prepared by the audit firm and Staschiak. Staschiak said it will now be a standard part of the city's audit release to ensure financial summary data comes from the city auditor's office. The auditor's office will pay $1,300 per year for three years for preparation of the report, plus a one-time set-up fee of $1,800. The expense will be included in the city's annual audit cost, which is about $60,000 each year. "Citizens deserve transparency when it comes to their tax dollars, and this report is designed to help assist you in gaining a better understanding of the city's resources and how we put your tax dollars to use," Staschiak said.