Contact: Marcus Creel
Director of Communications
and Government Affairs
601-319-2024
[email protected]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
OPCD 2020 Financial Audit
Shows No Findings for Fiscal Year 2020
NEW ORLEANS, LA (January 31, 2022) – The Orleans Parish Communication District (OPCD) is proud to announce that the agency’s 2020 financial audit shows no findings for the fiscal year 2020.
Since his appointment by the OPCD Board of Commissioners to the Executive Director position in 2018, Tyrell Morris and the OPCD Finance Department have worked diligently with the Board to ensure the restructuring of a public safety agency that is transparent, efficient and effective, which includes ensuring that the financial management of OPCD meet these three criteria.
“I am deeply proud of the work that Director Morris and his team have done over the last three years regarding the financial wellbeing of OPCD,” said OPCD Board Chairman Beau Tidwell. “These audit results are a huge win for the agency itself, and for the residents they serve. The entire finance team – Josiah Morgan, Vanessa Caliste-Swafford, Cassandra Robert and Patrina Duplessis – is to be commended. We are grateful for their efforts, and on behalf of the board, I congratulate them on this well-earned success.”
After the OPCD Board of Commissioners appointed Tyrell Morris to the agency’s Executive Director position in 2018, leadership discovered that a financial audit from the previous year (2017) highlighted some material and significant deficiencies. From the point of that discovery forward, a top goal established by the Board and Executive Director was to correct these deficiencies and to ensure clean findings in future audits. The lack of findings from the 2020 audits is the culmination of long-standing efforts by the Board, Morris and the OPCD Finance Department to meet this goal.
“When the OPCD Board of Commissioners appointed me as the Executive Director in 2018,” stated OPCD Executive Director, Tyrell Morris,” I committed myself and the agency, as a whole, to the executition of our basic Mission: Get the Right People to the Right Place at the Right Time Better Than Anyone Else in the World. Ensuring that the agency’s finances were managed by the highest standards and best practices was a key aspect of being able to meet that Mission, head on. Since the discovery of the 2017 audit findings, we have overhauled finance, human resources and procurement systems, as well as re-aligned staff and issued updated policies; all of which have all helped us reach this most critical milestone, today.”
“I would like to take a special moment to recognize the hard work of our finance and human resources teams,” continued Morris. “Congratulations go out to Josiah Morgan, Vanessa Caliste-Swafford, Cassandra Robert, Patrina Duplessis, Aliska Landry and Danielle Wilson for their unwavering commitment to our reform efforts and tireless effort in getting us to this point. We truly appreciate all of your hard work and service.”
The audit for 2020 was conducted by Richard CPAs accounting firm. Hundreds of financial documents were provided to the Richard CPAs over the course of 2020 through Prepared By Client (PBC) Lists –where any and all documents requested by the auditor are provided by the client – during the auditing process and sometimes after the audit’s original conclusion.
While the audit was performed for OPCD 2020 fiscal year, findings from previous audits for fiscal years 2018 and 2019 were also reviewed, corrected and resolved, showing no findings for the years of 2018, 2019 and 2020, further demonstrating the agency’s commitment to financial well-being.
“I am extremely proud to lead both the Finance & HR team to achieve such as critical milestone for OPCD,” stated OPCD Director of Support Services, Josiah Morgan. “It was a team effort that required policy updates, system overhauls, streamlining of operations and an unwavering commitment to transparency and efficiency. I would also like to than Director Morris and the OPCD Board Members for their continued commitment to financial health of this agency and allowing me to serve in this capacity.”
Annual financial audits are required for government agencies within the State of Louisiana by law. Results of these audits can be found at the Louisiana Legislative Auditor website, here.
About the Orleans Parish Communication District (www.OPCDLA.gov)
Formed in 1982, the Orleans Parish Communication District is the PSAP for all emergency communications via 9-1-1, and non-emergency communications via 3-1-1, within Orleans Parish. The agency employs over 150 individuals and provides emergency medical dispatch, emergency fire dispatch, and emergency police dispatch for the millions of annual visitors and residents of the City of New Orleans. OPCD is a member of the Association of Public Safety Communication Officials (APCO) and the National Emergency Number Association (NENA).
The Mission of OPCD is to get the Right People to the Right Place at the Right Time, Better than Anybody Else in the World.
###