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Crossville group to solicit bookkeeper proposals; auditors recommend separate audit handling
Summary
Meeting participants agreed to seek an external bookkeeper to keep project finances separate from city records and asked that the bookkeeper track estimated versus actual construction costs. Auditors recommended handling the group's audit work separately at an estimated cost of about $5,000 per year.
Members of a Crossville governing group discussed hiring an external bookkeeper to maintain a degree of separation between the group's financial records and the city's accounting system and to provide more detailed tracking of construction costs.
Participants said the external bookkeeper would be asked to set up the accounting in a way that separates the group's books from the city's system, provide references and estimates, and include a line-item tracking estimated versus actual expenses for the construction project. Board members suggested soliciting multiple candidates and sharing a short scope or list of bullets to ensure each vendor responds with comparable proposals.
A finance staff member said the work expected of the bookkeeper would likely be "little bookkeeping" and estimated a search and initial setup could require two to three months of effort before regular maintenance is established. Meeting participants named several local candidates to contact, including Scott Lenny and Regina Baldwin, and suggested accounting firms and local bookkeepers as options.
On auditing, a staff speaker said auditors recommended including the group's accounts in a separate audit section rather than combining them with the city's books. The auditors estimated that approach would add roughly $5,000 a year in fees but would produce a separate section to satisfy the comptroller's request. Participants said the arrangement would preserve separation while producing a clear audit trail.
Attorney Randy said he had been in touch with Norfolk Southern about Poe's Trail and was attempting to reach the person who could provide authorization and cost numbers for that work.
Next steps listed by participants included preparing a short scope of work for bookkeeping solicitations, contacting named candidates for estimates and references, and returning proposals to the group at the next meeting.
