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Officials: independent auditors conducting city audits; former receiver providing institutional context only
Summary
Committee members pressed staff on Sept. 8 about audit timing and whether a former receiver who approved transactions is involved in auditing those years.
Council members and the city controller raised questions about audit timing and potential conflicts of interest during the Sept. 8 Budget and Finance Committee meeting.
Staff reported that the audit for 2021 is nearly complete and that work on 2022 is staged. Officials said the independent audit firm assigned to the work is Milligan (noting the firm has been acquired and appears as CBIZ on finalized statements) and that the former receiver is not the auditor.
Multiple speakers told the committee the former receiver has been participating in meetings in a limited, advisory capacity to provide institutional knowledge about transactions that occurred while he was in office. Staff emphasized the independent auditors, not the former receiver, will perform and sign the financial audits in accordance with auditing rules and standards.
Officials said software transitions and two different financial systems used across years complicated the 2021 audit and slowed progress; staff estimated catching up on audits by early next year but did not provide a firm completion date.
No formal council action was taken during the discussion. Committee members asked for continued updates as audits are finalized because audited closing balances affect subsequent-year financial statements and budget work.
