Editor, Gazette-Journal:

Contrary to the Gazette-Journal’s Nov. 30 headline, Mathews did not “find $1.2M in excess FY2017 revenue” in November. The financial reports as of June 22, 2017 posted on the county’s website showed the county had a surplus of $1.842 million, with $940,847 less than budgeted revenue, and $2.783M less than budgeted expenditures.

How much was spent and how much was received from June 23 to June 30 is not shown on the website and not mentioned in the article. If Ms. Conner’s $1,247,540 surplus number is accurate, $595,869 was spent above any additional revenue received in those eight days. There are always end of the year adjustments, but until the annual audit is posted under financial reports, we have no way to know exactly how those numbers break out.

Why didn’t Ms. Conner update the June reports to the end of the year or at least offer a more specific explanation of the surplus so it could be available to the board and th...