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Manteno board approves $168,000 forensic audit after tie vote
Summary
The Manteno Village Board voted to approve a $168,000 forensic audit of municipal finances covering April 2020 to the present after a 3–3 split; the mayor cast the tie-breaking vote in favor.
The Manteno Village Board voted Aug. 4 to hire Green Forensic Accounting Solutions LLP for a forensic audit priced at $168,000 covering the period April 2020 to the present, after a 3–3 tie among trustees and a tie-breaking vote by the mayor.
Trustees and residents said the audit is intended to provide a “clean slate” and public transparency. Trustee Berry, who proposed the audit, said during committee meetings that he hopes the review will “come back clean” and clear up residents’ concerns.
Supporters said the forensic audit will address questions that a routine annual audit does not. Trustee Berry told the board that annual audits conducted by the village’s auditor do not search for fraud and that a forensic review would go deeper. Auditor Carmen Huizinga, referenced during the discussion, told trustees the annual audit focuses on whether numbers balance and does not pursue evidence of criminal conduct.
Opponents said the cost and purpose did not justify the expenditure. Trustee Crockett said he could not “conceive spending that kind of money” when other public-safety items, including mobile radar units and speed mitigation, have been requested. Trustee Zimbelman called the request “not being fiscally responsible” and characterized it as a vendetta against the previous administration, saying regular audits have not disclosed problems.
The motion passed after roll call votes produced a 3–3 tie (Yes: Barry, Vaughn, Getzke; No: Boudreaux, Crockett, Zimmerman). The mayor cast the deciding vote in the affirmative.
Board members said the forensic audit would begin at the scope proposed by the motion; the meeting record lists the audit start and end as April 2020 to current (the precise start date was not specified during the meeting). Trustee Berry said results will be posted if the audit “comes back clean.”
No timeline for delivery of the forensic audit report was specified at the meeting.
Supporters and critics agreed that the village has been through numerous audits; the annual audit firm referenced by trustees was SKDO, which conducts standard financial audits rather than forensic investigations.
