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Council asked to authorize city attorney to engage Kroll Associates; staff seeks up to $10,000 to answer follow-up audit questions
Summary
City staff requested authorization for the city attorney to engage Kroll Associates to answer additional questions arising from a prior audit; staff estimated a not-to-exceed fee of $10,000. A council member argued the consultant should return in person to answer public questions rather than incur the fee.
City staff presented a budget amendment request to authorize the city attorney to engage Kroll Associates to respond to additional questions that arose after the city received the Kroll study.
"The estimate was a not to exceed amount of $10,000," staff said. According to staff, the city already forwarded follow-up questions to Kroll; several additional questions would require extra work and therefore additional fees.
Council member Posey objected to the cost and suggested it would be more responsible to have the consultant return in person. "It would be a lot more physically responsible to pay for a plane ticket and a hotel room than pay $10,000 to have him come back," Posey said, arguing the same questions had been repeated in the record and that an in-person appearance would allow direct answers.
Staff responded that Kroll had previously left early at an abbreviated visit and had offered to return. The transcript records back-and-forth on whether the consultant should return in person; it does not record a final vote or authorization on the budget amendment.
Why it matters: the requested funds would pay for consultant work answering questions about a forensic-style audit; council members expressed frustration about repeated public questioning and turnover in city finance leadership since the audit.
Next steps: staff asked the council to authorize the attorney to engage Kroll and to approve the budget amendment; the transcript does not record a final council decision.
