Sulphur City Council met for the last time in its temporary building in the old Kroger parking lot on Monday. Their next meeting will be held at 501 Willow Avenue.

Independent auditor and C.P.A. Steven DeRouen of DeRouen & Associates shared financial highlights of the “clean” audit from fiscal year ending June 20, 2024.

Total assets at the end of the year were $194,964,000 million. Capital assets, land, infrastructure, equipment, water, sewer plant and street improvements account for about $110 million — an increase of $17 to $18 million.

Liabilities at the end of last year were $69 million, which consists of operating payable at the end of the year. Large construction projects accounted for about $7.6 million of that figure.

The largest liability on the city’s books is the $28.2 million for the four pension plans the city participates in, a decrease of $3 million from the prior year. The accrued liability for health benefits, because retirees can participate in those health benefits, is $21 million.

Outstanding bonds payable or long-term debt of about $9.6 million, down about $1.5 million from the prior year due to principal payments on those bonds.

The net position of the city was about $115 million, DeRouen said. Total revenues were about $62. 7 million. That is a $12 million increase from the prior year due to state funding for infrastructure improvements and FEMA hurricane disaster reimbursement.

Expenses came in $1.6 million higher over the previous year at $43 million. Expenses were categorized on the report as an additional $7,919,526 general government expense, $12,426,035 public safety expense and $8,257,911 in streets and parks, $33,384 interest on long-term debt and $2,000,000 water and sewer.

General revenues were at $37 million. That amount is sales tax, property tax and franchise tax.

Also during the meeting, Kyle Cook, an “exceptional educational talent” was recognized. Cook, the Maplewood Middle School band teacher, was lauded earlier this year as the recipient of the prestigious Milken Award, often called the “Oscars of Teaching,” said Mayor Mike Danahay.

The award recognizes exceptional educational talent, exemplary educational accomplishments beyond the classroom. Cook is from Houston. He studied at McNeese and upon graduation in 2016, moved to Sulphur. He has been teaching at Maplewood Middle since that time.