CAMPTI, LA. — The Town of Campti ended its 2024-25 fiscal year with a significant improvement in its financial position, but an independent audit released in November identified two compliance violations — including a recurring problem with late payroll tax and retirement report filings.
The annual financial report, prepared by the Natchitoches firm Thomas, Cunningham, Broadway & Todtenbier CPAs and covering the year ended June 30, 2025, received an unmodified, or “clean,” opinion — meaning auditors found the financial statements to be fairly presented in all material respects.
Auditors found no material weaknesses in the town’s internal controls, a notable improvement from the prior year, when a software-related internal control finding was cited. That finding was cleared in this year’s report.
Town net position climbs to $2.35 million
The town’s combined net position — a broad measure of financial health — grew to $2.35 million at fiscal year-end, up from $1.71 million the prior year, a gain of $637,315.
Governmental activities, which cover police protection, general administration and grant-funded capital projects, posted a net position of $972,663, an increase of $611,202 from the previous year. Much of that gain was driven by $657,638 in grant revenues, primarily from the Louisiana Community Development Block Grant program, which funded capital construction work.
The town’s water and sewer enterprise fund — classified as a business-type activity — closed the year with a net position of $1.38 million, a $26,113 improvement. The water and sewer fund posted an operating loss of $212,502, as expenses including depreciation, salaries and maintenance totaled $530,773 against operating revenues of $318,271. The fund was kept in positive territory by $238,615 in non-operating revenues, including $120,749 in sales tax proceeds and $128,011 in grants from the American Rescue Plan Act and the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Fund programs.
General Fund ends year in the red
Despite the government-wide improvement, the General Fund — the town’s primary operating account — ended the year with a deficit of $9,139, closing with a fund balance of $124,228. Total General Fund revenues were $321,204 against expenditures of $330,343.
Sales tax receipts of $120,748 substantially exceeded the $83,000 budgeted amount. Fines and forfeitures collected through the mayor’s court reached $38,097, far above the $2,750 budget projection. Those revenue gains were offset by general government expenditures of $294,529, which ran $140,079 over the $154,450 budgeted figure.
The town carried total long-term debt of $427,688 at fiscal year-end. That total includes $265,710 in outstanding revenue bonds and equipment financing associated with the water and sewer system, and a combined net pension liability of $138,528 spread across two state retirement systems — the Municipal Employees Retirement System and the Municipal Police Employees Retirement System of Louisiana.
Two compliance violations cited
Auditors cited two compliance findings required to be reported under Government Auditing Standards.
The first, finding 2025-001, involves the Local Government Budget Act. Louisiana law requires municipalities to amend their budgets when actual revenues fall more than 5 percent below projections or when actual expenditures exceed the budget by more than 5 percent. Auditors found that General Fund expenditures exceeded the approved budget by more than that threshold without a required amendment being made. The same violation was cited in the prior year’s audit as finding 2024-002 and was not resolved.
Town management acknowledged the noncompliance and said it will institute a formal review process to monitor revenues and expenditures throughout the year, with budget amendments initiated whenever a 5 percent variance is approached.
The second finding, 2025-002, addresses recurring delays in submitting payroll tax reports and retirement contribution reports. Auditors found multiple instances of filings submitted after required deadlines, attributing the problem to the town’s payroll system generating incorrect reports that forced staff into time-consuming manual data collection. The town faces potential penalties, interest charges and compliance citations if the problem continues. A similar violation — failure to file quarterly federal tax returns on time — was cited in last year’s audit as finding 2024-004 and was not cleared.
Management said it is working to correct system-generated reporting errors and will strengthen internal controls over payroll processing, including enhanced oversight and documented procedures.
Agreed-upon procedures flag missing deposit documentation
Beyond the main audit findings, the Louisiana Legislative Auditor’s statewide agreed-upon procedures — a separate compliance review — identified one exception: auditors were unable to locate supporting documentation for deposits tested during the review period. The town acknowledged the gap and said management will locate the missing documentation or implement stronger documentation retention practices going forward.
In a positive result from the agreed-upon procedures, auditors found no exceptions in bank reconciliations, disbursements, credit card usage, travel reimbursements, contracts, payroll, ethics compliance, debt service, fraud prevention, cybersecurity training or sexual harassment prevention procedures. A prior-year finding related to inadequate accounting and billing software configuration was cleared.
The policies and procedures review identified a remaining gap: written policies cover payroll and personnel functions but do not yet address budgeting, purchasing, disbursements, collections, contracting, credit card use, travel reimbursement, ethics, debt service or information technology disaster recovery.
Mayor’s compensation totaled $19,255
The audit separately discloses compensation paid to Mayor Katrina Evans for the fiscal year. Her total compensation was $19,255, consisting of a $12,000 salary, $1,680 in retirement benefits, $75 in cell phone allowance, $1,000 in registration fees and $4,500 in conference travel.
The five-member town council received a combined $4,940 in compensation during the year: Christopher James, $1,120; Mary Collins, $1,100; Etta Prudhomme, $940; Kevin Smith, $940; and Bence Nicholas, $840.
The audit was completed Nov. 26, 2025. Auditors noted no subsequent events requiring disclosure and found the town was not involved in any civil litigation as of June 30, 2025.
Source: Town of Campti Annual Financial Report, year ended June 30, 2025, Thomas, Cunningham, Broadway & Todtenbier CPAs, Natchitoches.
