Committee advances Bill 65 to council to transfer $567,951.31 to liquid fuels fund

Allentown City's Budget and Finance Committee on Wednesday voted to advance Bill 65 to the full City Council. The ordinance would transfer $567,951.31 from the general fund to the liquid fuels fund to address an audit finding.

Ms. Patel, who presented Bill 65 to the committee, said the city was audited for the years 2016 to 2020 and that auditors cited a requirement to obtain prior approval from the Department of Transportation for certain work that the city had not requested. "We were not aware of that at the time," Ms. Patel said, explaining the audit finding and the intent of the transfer.

Ms. Patel told the committee the requirement included specifications about pavement thickness for four roads that were the subject of the audit finding; she said the transfer would move funds from the general fund to liquid fuels to correct accounting and fund balances connected with that finding.

When the chair asked for a motion, a member moved to advance the bill and another member seconded. The committee approved the motion by voice vote; the chair stated the item will be moved forward to the full council. The committee did not record a roll-call tally in the transcript.

No public comment or substantive committee discussion about alternatives or amendments appears in the transcript. The committee chair closed the meeting and indicated the full audit and accounting details could be addressed at the council level when the ordinance is considered.

Votes at a glance: Bill 65 — motion to advance to full council approved by committee voice vote; no roll-call tally recorded in the transcript.