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Committee approves bill requiring uniform accounting for second‑class cities
Summary
Rep. Robin Lundstrom’s bill would require second‑class cities to adopt a uniform chart of accounts used by counties and the state and give them three years to comply; the Arkansas Municipal League said the change would aid audits and training.
Rep. Robin Lundstrom, R‑District 18, told the House City, County & Local Affairs Committee the bill would require second‑class cities to adopt a uniform chart of accounts consistent with county and state standards and would give affected cities three years to come into compliance.
Lundstrom said the change is intended to make audits comparable across jurisdictions. “Cities of a second class keep their accounting...some on QuickBooks, some on Excel, some on paper, and this would require them to come up to uniform accounting standards that the counties have been doing for the last 40 years,” Lundstrom said.
John Wilkerson, general counsel for the Arkansas Municipal League, told the committee the league and municipal clerks had discussed a uniform chart of accounts for some time and that codifying a standard would aid training and make audits easier. He said the league had not yet taken a formal position from its executive committee but that municipal clerks had generally reacted positively in discussions.
No public opposition was recorded. A member moved the bill “do pass,” the committee voted by voice and the chair declared the motion carried. Lundstrom thanked colleagues after the vote.
