Pendergrass work session approves March minutes, council outlines new financial controls

Pendergrass City officials at an April 8 work session approved the March meeting minutes by voice vote and discussed a set of new financial controls intended to reduce use of personal funds for city business.

Council members and staff said the city will seek to obtain department-specific credit cards, implement a purchase order system, begin weekly check runs with attached invoices, and establish clearer accounting for restricted "splash" funds. A yearly audit has been completed and officials said a report will be available next week.

Council and staff said the immediate changes aim to stop individuals from paying city expenses out of pocket and to make spending more transparent. "We're going to the bank this week, but apply for credit cards for the city," a city official said during the meeting, noting departments would receive cards with an initial limit of about $1,500.

The council discussed confusion over previously posted minutes and treasury reports. Members debated whether work sessions may take official action; the Georgia Municipal Association was cited during the discussion as guidance that official action can sometimes occur at a work session. After debate, a motion to accept the March minutes was made and approved by voice vote; individual vote counts were not specified in the meeting record.

Officials described other planned controls: department-level purchase order numbers required on receipts, a weekly check run that will include copies of checks and invoices, separation of splash funds into distinct accounts, and a time-clock system for employees. Staff said they are working to produce a clearer accounting of which funds are in each account and what is incoming and outgoing.

City officials also said the city is preparing to replace an outgoing legal advisor. "I've been in contact with a law firm already, and I'll be meeting with them probably sometime next week," one official said when asked who will fill the role after a resignation later this month. The official did not name the law firm.

An annual audit was mentioned as complete and officials said the audit will be posted online through the University of Georgia system; staff said they will share a link when available and that they expect the auditor to present next week.

Next steps announced at the meeting included meeting with the Georgia Municipal Association on Thursday to review services the association provides, collecting check runs and invoices for an itemized audit, and presenting the audit report to the council at a future meeting.

The work session covered other agenda items after the finance discussion; the council scheduled more detailed review and formal votes during the regular council meeting at the end of the month.