Julie Ann Pelletier, the city's independent auditor, told the Committee on Accounts, Enrollment and Revenue Administration at a special meeting that she selected CliftonLarsonAllen to perform audits for the City of Manchester for fiscal years 2025, 2026 and 2027, with an option to renew for fiscal years 2028 and 2029. The committee was informed the item was for information only; no vote was taken.

The discussion drew questions from committee members prompted by recent news about other New Hampshire municipalities. Alderman Sapienza said the reports that “Claremont and now Pittsfield [were] $1,000,000 or more off the cliff” raised the importance of auditing. Pelletier told the committee that the city issued a request for proposals and used a six‑person selection committee to evaluate applicants. "We put out an RFP," Pelletier said. She described the selection committee as including the Director of Finance, the accounting manager, an Attorney II from the solicitor's office, the airport chief financial officer and the director of finance and administration for Waterworks (the enterprise fund representative).

Sharon Wickens, the city's finance officer, addressed committee concerns about the outstanding FY2024 audit. She said the audit work had been held up not by the city but by a review queue after the prior auditor was acquired by a larger firm. "We do have the audit... it's the grant side of the reporting that we still don't have," Wickens said, adding that the outstanding items were procedural and that the city had provided requested information. Wickens told the committee there were no indications of missing funds: "There's no discrepancy of money or anything like that." She characterized Manchester's finances as “in very good standing.”

Committee members asked whether anything could be done to speed completion of the FY2024 grant reporting; Wickens said it was a review process at the auditor and beyond the city's control. The committee received the communication as informational; no formal action was recorded on the auditor's selection during the meeting.

The item included discussion of local audit timeliness and comparisons to neighboring municipalities but did not result in committee direction or a formal vote.