48-253. District audits and financial reviews

A. Each district that is organized under this title, that is not exempt under subsection G or H of this section and that is required to make an annual report under this article shall have its reports audited in accordance with generally accepted government auditing standards and the following:

1. Audits required by this section shall be performed annually for districts whose budgets are one million dollars or more. Districts whose budgets are one hundred thousand dollars or more but less than one million dollars shall have a financial review performed annually. Districts whose budgets are more than fifty thousand dollars and less than one hundred thousand dollars shall have a financial review performed at least biennially. Districts whose budgets are fifty thousand dollars or less shall have a financial review performed at the request of the county board of supervisors or on receipt of a request for a financial review that is signed by at least ten residents of that district. A district shall not be required to perform a financial review more than once per fiscal year.

2. A district may select an outside auditor who is a certified public accountant or an agent of a certified public accountant who is selected by the board of supervisors and who is trained as an auditor.

3. A district may advertise and use competitive bidding practices to select an agent to perform the audits or financial reviews required by this section.

B. Each district that submits a financial statement for the preceding fiscal year that has been attested to by an independent certified public accountant pursuant to section 48-251 is deemed to have complied with this section by submitting a copy of the financial statement to the county treasurer.

C. Each district shall submit a copy of the completed audit or financial review to the county treasurer and the board of supervisors within two hundred forty days after the close of the district's fiscal year or within one hundred eighty days after a request for a financial review is received by the district pursuant to subsection A, paragraph 1 of this section.

D. If a district fails to submit an audit or financial review as required by this section, any taxpayer residing in the district, the board of supervisors or the county treasurer may petition the superior court in a county where the district is organized to show cause why the audit or financial review has not been submitted. On a failure to show cause the court shall order the district to submit the audit or financial review within ten days after the judgment is entered. Except for a district organized pursuant to chapter 5, article 3 of this title, on complaint made to the county attorney, the county attorney may investigate any claimed failure to comply with this section, report publicly on the investigation's findings and take any enforcement action deemed appropriate by the county attorney.

E. If the court enters a judgment against the district under this section, the court may award the taxpayer, board of supervisors or county treasurer reasonable attorney fees and costs associated with bringing the action.

F. For districts organized under chapter 19 of this title, a district with an annual budget of at least five million dollars shall have an audit performed annually and a district with an annual budget of at least one million dollars but less than five million dollars shall have an audit performed every five years and a financial review performed each year an audit is not performed. A district with an annual budget of at least one hundred thousand dollars but less than one million dollars shall have an audit performed every ten years and a financial review performed each year an audit is not performed.

G. For districts organized under chapter 5 of this title and except for districts organized under chapter 5, article 3 of this title, a district that receives five hundred thousand dollars or more in total revenues shall perform an annual audit. For the purposes of this subsection, revenues include monies generated by tax levies, monies received through appropriations, grants and other federal and state sources and monies received from services or other private sources, including ambulance and similar services. If a district's total budgeted revenues in a fiscal year are less than five hundred thousand dollars and the district receives total actual revenues in a fiscal year of five hundred thousand dollars or more, the district shall have an audit performed for that preceding fiscal year as if the audit had originally been required by this section. Districts whose total annual revenues are one hundred thousand dollars or more but less than five hundred thousand dollars shall have a financial review performed annually. Districts whose total annual revenues are more than fifty thousand dollars and less than one hundred thousand dollars shall have a financial review performed at least biennially. Districts whose total annual revenues are fifty thousand dollars or less shall have a financial review performed at the request of the county board of supervisors or on receipt of a request for a financial review that is signed by at least ten residents of that district. A district shall not be required to perform a financial review more than once per fiscal year. All financial reviews and audits prescribed by this section must be conducted according to generally accepted government auditing standards.

H. Districts organized under chapters 4, 6, 17, 22, 27 and 28 of this title are exempt from the requirements of this section.