Lindsay council approves short-term Moss Adams contract for finance support amid staffing gap

The Lindsay City Council on Friday approved a professional services agreement with Moss Adams to provide interim finance, budgeting and audit support through the end of the calendar year.

City Manager said the firm would begin work quickly if the council approved the agreement and that "it would not be a budget hit until next fiscal year." The council voted 5-0 to authorize the contract.

Moss Adams director Amy Ajo told the council the firm provides finance transformation services to local governments across the West Coast and would supply both on-site and virtual staff. "I have worked with Moss Adams for 6 years. I'm a director here. I lead our finance transformation practice," Ajo said during the meeting.

A public commenter raised concerns about procurement transparency and contract cost, saying the public "deserve to know how and why this firm was selected" and noting a discrepancy in figures cited in the staff report. City staff told council the contract is intended as a short-term, targeted intervention to cover urgent audit and reporting work while the city recruits a permanent finance director.

Council members said the immediate goals are to restore internal capacity, help the city meet outstanding audit obligations and provide training for permanent staff. Staff said work under the agreement would include an initial operational assessment and ongoing technical and accounting support through December, with the city budgeting for continued services, if needed, in next year’s budget.

The council gave no additional directive beyond approving the contract; staff said they will proceed with onboarding Moss Adams and begin recruitment for a permanent finance director. No execution date or contractor fee detail beyond the staff report figures was finalized during the public meeting.