By ALEXANDER SIMONE

Staff writer

For all the worry about spending in 2018, Florence managed to stay positive on the year’s audit report.

Accountant Vonda Brecheisen of Knudesen, Monroe and Company, LLC was on hand Monday to review the audit report with the city council.

While there were no cash violations, some accounts ended close to the limit. The Parks and Recreation fund, for example, ended with $38 thanks to extra lighting expenses for the baseball field.

The city ended 2018 with $1,000 in unencumbered cash, $2,000 lower than 2017.

Florence also has several certificates of deposit at Cottonwood Valley Bank, but there is no interest being collected, Brecheisen said.

“Several of my cities have gotten better interest rates on their money in the past year by putting out to bid, or just visiting with their bank,” she said.

According to Florence’s resolution for managing CDs, the city can use any bank that has a branch within Marion County or a bank with an official depository in an adjacent county.

In other news, the council:

• Friday approved purchase of a trash truck for $159,500 from Blue Sky Refurbishing in Gainesville, Georgia.
• Approved a five-year lease of $269.95 per month for a new printer, which includes toner, maintenance, and 4,400 pages per month. The current printer costs $400 per month for toner alone. The new printer also functions as a fax machine and copier.
• Moved Monday’s regularly scheduled meeting to Tuesday.