Authority approves three-year audit contract with Riley and Company

The Northampton County General Purpose Authority voted Aug. 5 to award a three-year audit services contract to Riley and Company covering audits for 2025, 2026 and 2027. The contract was approved after members reviewed a proposal presented at the meeting; the authority moved and seconded the measure and members voted in favor. The authority chair called for the ayes and the motion carried. The proposal included a higher fee for 2025 tied to ongoing work on the authority’s bridge project, with the presenter saying the 2025 fee would be $17,800 and that fees would return to $14,500 in 2026 and $15,000 in 2027 if the bridge work was complete. The presentation noted those amounts are in line with recent audit fees: approximately $16,000 in 2022, $16,006.50 in 2023 and $17,300 in 2024. Sarah, a staff member, told the authority that the county’s procurement threshold did not require a full RFP because the proposed cost was below the procurement requirement; she also said fiscal staff preferred retaining Riley because of the firm’s familiarity with the long-running bridge project. "It's their preference to stay with Riley at least through the end of the whole bridge project, just because they're familiar with it, and have been working on it all these years," she said. Authority member Pam moved to approve the Riley and Company proposal for three years; Lance seconded. After no questions, the authority voted and members responded "aye," and the chair said the motion carries. The authority did not take additional actions tied to the audit engagement at the meeting; staff said the item would be placed on the next meeting agenda if members wanted more time to review the paperwork. No competing proposals were presented at the meeting. The decision keeps audit work with the same firm through the bridge audit period, a factor staff cited as reason to accept the multi-year proposal.