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Council approves $5,000 to audit old encumbered purchase orders; administration proposes temporary staff to clear $276,000 in escrows
Summary
Administrator reported $276,000 in encumbered purchase orders dating to 1999; council approved a $5,000 special-project allocation to begin cleanup and administration recommended hiring an internal temporary worker (budgeted at $25/hour) to resolve open purchase orders and close permits.
Administrator DeCarlo told council that an audit of purchase orders found roughly $276,000 in encumbered funds tied to old purchase orders stretching back to 1999. The encumbrances were spread across hundreds of purchase orders; the administration recommended a short-term, internal resource to investigate and close the outstanding items and suggested a $5,000 special-project allocation to support the work.
DeCarlo described the work as investigative and administrative: matching purchase orders to invoices, resolving whether escrows or refunds were due to residents or vendors, and closing open permits in the building department. He proposed placing a temporary internal position in the salary ordinance at $25 per hour, with work performed within regular hours (not to exceed full-time overtime) and estimated the task could likely be completed within one year. Council asked about the number of accounts and was told the files included many entries and roughly 899 purchase orders flagged for review.
Council voted to approve the $5,000 special-project allocation to begin the cleanup and endorsed the administration’s plan to use internal staff (at an estimated $25/hour rate included in a salary ordinance line) to work through escrow and open-permit closures. DeCarlo agreed to provide regular updates — monthly or quarterly — to the council on progress.
Nut graf: The town is seeking to reconcile long-outstanding encumbrances and open permits that tie up municipal funds. The approved $5,000 allocation and proposed internal hire aim to return improperly held funds or close legacy administrative gaps and reduce unknown liabilities.
Clarifying details - Total encumbered funds identified: approximately $276,000 tied to purchase orders dating back to 1999; about 899 purchase orders were identified for review. (Source: Administrator DeCarlo.) - Special-project allocation: $5,000 approved by council to support the work to close escrows and reconcile POs. - Proposed staffing: internal temporary position budgeted at $25/hour in the salary ordinance; work estimated at up to 40 hours/week when available but expected to be part-time (4–5 hours/week average) and finish within a year. (Source: Administrator DeCarlo.)
Outcome and next steps - Council approved $5,000 to start the special-project escrow/PO cleanup; administration will report progress to the council periodically and move a salary-ordinance line as needed to fund the internal resource.
