PRINCETON: Township audit results ‘wonderful’

By Geoffrey Wertime, Staff Writer
   Princeton Township has earned the highest possible rating on its 2009 audit.
   The audit, performed by Hodulik & Morrison P.A. of Highland Park, found no notable deficiencies in the way the township’s finances operated last year.
   ”Our opinion on the financial statements is unqualified. That is as good a report as we can issue,” said auditor Robert Morrison at the Township Committee’s Monday meeting, when the committee voted unanimously to certify the audit.
   ”The financial statements that were presented to us by management were found to be complete and accurate in all material respects, and prepared in conformity with the accounting standards promulgated by the state of New Jersey,” he continued. “It’s a very unique set of standards, it takes significant amounts of training and experience to be able to put financial statements in the proper format, and the statements we were given were in that format.”
   Last year, the township’s audit produced two “small recommendations,” said Chief Financial Officer Kathryn Monzo. But she said they both have been “completed and resolved,” and she called this year’s results “wonderful.”
   Mr. Morrison told the township it was right this year to settle outstanding balances with the borough for joint operations, and said that balancing must be an annual occurrence.
   Overall, Mr. Morrison said the township did an exemplary job.
   ”My staff loves to find noncompliance, and they dig deep — they didn’t find any,” he said.
   ”We couldn’t issue a cleaner report than this and it’s a credit to the Township Committee” for setting the culture, he said.
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