The 2021 audit confirmed the city of Cloquet is in a good financial position, even after more than two years of pandemic challenges.

Wipfli’s Michelle Swoboda told the Cloquet city council Tuesday that the accounting firm gave an unmodified, or clean, opinion on the city’s financial statements following the audit.

According to the audit report, the city of Cloquet ended 2021 with nearly a half-million dollars more than budgeted, thanks in large part to $930,000 in federal CARES Act funds from the federal government. Rising utility fees and decreasing expenses increased the city’s posi...