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Council approves continued outside help on stalled FY23 audit as members express frustration
Summary
The City Council approved continued engagement of CliftonLarsonAllen (CLA) to assist the finance department with FY23 and FY24 audit work amid council concern over delays and gaps in in-house accounting work.
The Woonsocket City Council on March 17 voted unanimously to continue CliftonLarsonAllen’s temporary engagement to assist the finance department in completing the Fiscal Year 2023 and 2024 audits.
Council members asked for a timetable and pressed staff on why the audit work was delayed. A representative in the meeting said a draft was expected in March and that field work had begun late; staff and CLA were continuing exchanges through a secure portal with school and city personnel to resolve outstanding questions. Acting finance staff and CLA told the council they expected a draft audit in March and hoped to present a final audit in April.
Councilwoman Gonzales and others expressed frustration with the state of the city’s accounting records and said CLA’s internal work indicated gaps that the city should have addressed earlier. "It feels like we don't have a finance department," Gonzales said during debate. City staff said CLA is limited to internal assistance (ethical rules prevent them from performing audit work they would later sign), and the audit itself is being conducted by CBIZ or the contracted auditor separate from CLA's internal work.
The council approved the resolution to continue CLA’s assistance and asked staff for a status update and a timeline for the draft and final audit. City staff also told the council they had notified the state auditor and rating agencies about the expected timeline.
Why it matters: Accurate, completed financial audits are essential for budget planning, bond ratings and long-term fiscal transparency. Councilors said they are concerned about delayed work that complicates planning for the municipal budget and noted the additional city expense of hiring outside contractors to perform internal reconciliation tasks.
What happens next: Staff will report back on the draft audit timeline and provide an appropriation ordinance at the next regular meeting to fund any required FY25 payment tied to settlements or required adjustments, as discussed elsewhere in the meeting.
