'Clean audits'

for Moses Lake port district

By Matthew Weaver

Herald senior staff writer

Administrative services manager: 'It means a lot to us'

MOSES LAKE - The Port of Moses Lake emerged with several clean audits for the 2006 calendar year.

Port Administrative Services Manager Bonnie Lamb said the port district is audited on an annual basis.

The state Auditor's Office conducted an accountability audit of the port's internal controls and the district's financial statement to ensure they are presented in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles, Lamb explained.

Jerry Pugnetti, chief policy advisor for the office, said both audits were clean.

"Meaning in the areas we looked at, they complied," he explained. "Our focus (in the accountability audit) is primarily whether they followed the law in the laws that really apply to them. There's also the internal controls and what that means is the controls in place in their policies and procedures that make sure they're accounting for the funds. It's kind of the internal checks and balances they use, and we check and make sure those are in place. It appears they indeed have those practices in place."

With the financial statement audit, all the budget and financial statements are reported to the office in order to make sure they are accurate and complete.

"The other aspect of the financial audit is compliance with federal laws and regulations," Pugnetti said. "When the port has some federal grant funds and perhaps loans, there are strings attached to those funds in which they are required to follow federal requirements, so we audit for that, and we found they complied with that as well."

In most audits, Pugnetti said, of the 2,400 different types of entities of varying sizes in Washington, with about 1,000 audits a year, most have complied and there are no findings or issues.

"It still, I think warrants pointing out that the port (of Moses Lake) should be proud of this audit," he said.

The port district has had clean audits for as long as Lamb can remember.

"The clean audits also reflect the commitment and the hard work of port staff we are in compliance with state law," she said. "It means a lot to us. It's really telling the staff it's a job well done."

Lamb singled out port district staff members Michele Fry and Glenda Hartzell for their hard work in assisting in compliance issues.