Press Releases

State Auditor's Office Gives Port of Ridgefield High Marks

6/16/2008 12:00:00 AM

The Washington State Auditor’s Office has conducted an audit of the Port of Ridgefield’s records from January 1, 2006 through December 31, 2007. The audit reviewed the areas of contracts, bid law, conflict of interest, disbursements and open public meetings. In a report presented to the Port on June 6th, the State Auditor’s Office concluded that the Port complied with state laws and regulations in all areas examined. The report also stated that internal controls were satisfactory to safeguard public assets and interests.

Additionally, the Port was applauded for its move to retro-actively bring all of its records into compliance with the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) for 2006 and 2007, even though compliance with the standards will not be mandatory until 2008. “We take our responsibility for maintaining the public trust very seriously…” said Brent Grening, Executive Director of the Port, “…and this was one way of demonstrating our dedication to accountability. It took a great deal of work on the part of Port staff to go back and bring our records into compliance with GASB, but we feel it was well worth the effort. We’ve got a jump-start with regard to working within the guidelines that will be implemented in ’08 and had the chance to test how well we can comply with the new standards…we did great!”

The next audit for the Port is schedule to take place in 2009.

About the Port of Ridgefield
The Port of Ridgefield was formed in 1940 and is charged with bringing economic development to the greater Ridgefield area. The Port district covers approximately 57 square miles, represents over 10,000 constituents and is led by three elected commissioners: Joe Melroy, Roy Randel, and Bruce Wiseman. Its current major projects include facilitating the community discussion regarding development of the Discovery Corridor, the PWT Environmental Cleanup and the installation of a number of transportation related projects. For more information about the Port, visit www.portridgefield.org or call (360) 887-3873.

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Contact:
Michael Williams
Marketing & Communications Manager
360.887.3873
mwilliams@portridgefield.org