Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Finance Audit topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Pryor Creek council backs immediate accounting cleanup work with Cassell pending formal payment approval
Summary
Council members agreed staff should begin a general ledger cleanup with accounting firm Cassell, with an estimated cost of $9,600–$12,000 and a $3,000 onsite training, and with formal payment to be placed on a future agenda or a special meeting if costs exceed estimates.
Pryor Creek Mayor and city council members directed staff to start an accounting cleanup by Cassell, a professional accounting services firm, and said formal approval of payment will appear on a future agenda or a special meeting if costs differ from estimates.
Council members and staff described recurring errors in the city’s general ledger and said Cassell recommended a cleanup and follow-up onsite training. City staff reported Cassell’s quoted rate at $100 per hour, an estimated 48–60 hours for the cleanup ($9,600–$12,000) and an additional estimated $3,000 for onsite training. Council members asked that staff scan and circulate the written quote to all council members.
Why it matters: Councilmembers said the ledger problems are interfering with their ability to know the city’s financial status. Several members urged a thorough cleanup that could include reviewing records back to July 1 of the previous year so the city’s books are reliable going forward.
During discussion, council members and staff clarified that some ledger corrections in prior years had been made by editing closed months, which created cascading accounting changes. Consultant Jeff (first name only in the record) advised that Cassell would target February as the point where errors became abundant and would address earlier items if they appear during the cleanup. Staff (Hannah) confirmed Cassell already had current bank files and would not begin work until officials gave the go-ahead.
Council members debated whether to hold a special meeting to approve the expense. The mayor said he would contact Cassell to have them start and would call a special meeting only if the final cost exceeded the estimates and required council approval before the next regular meeting. Several council members suggested budgeting a larger contingency (one suggested $20,000) because the full scope could expand if older records need attention.
The council instructed staff to circulate the Cassell quote and to coordinate potential timing; staff said Cassell could start work once the city authorizes them to proceed. The discussion concluded with staff agreeing to send the quote to council members and the mayor indicating he would reach out to Cassell to begin the assessment that would produce a more precise cost estimate.
