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After questions about safeguards, Lake County OKs bank signature resolution
Summary
Lake County commissioners on Jan. 24 authorized bank signature authority and a procedure for interim signings after staff explained the controls; commissioners asked for clear checks-and-balances and pledged to put interim signatures on the next meeting agenda for ratification.
The Lake County Board of County Commissioners on Jan. 24 adopted a resolution authorizing county bank signatories and setting a procedure for signing payroll and accounts-payable checks when commissioners are unavailable, after commissioners pressed staff on checks-and-balances for interim signatures.
County Manager Tim Bergman told the board that county finance staff had completed the necessary bank paperwork and recommended adding the commissioners’ names to the bank’s authorized-signature list. Bergman said that during the transition he had signed payroll and AP checks so staff and vendors could be paid; he described a procedure going forward in which staff will bring checks on a set day and, if the chair is not available, the vice chair or the third commissioner would sign. As a fallback, Bergman noted, he would sign only when all three commissioners are unavailable and would report any interim signatures at the next regular meeting.
Commissioner concern and staff response
Commissioner questions focused on the safeguards for authorizing county payments. One commissioner asked what checks and balances exist to prevent improper use of interim signature authority. Bergman and finance staff described multiple controls: routine procurement and invoice review before checks are generated, two-signature requirements on disbursements in many cases, and the practice of reporting any interim signatures at the next regular meeting for ratification.
Tim Bergman told the board: “anytime I do sign a check at the next regular meeting of the board, I tell you what I signed.” That practice was offered as the practical transparency step for any interim signatures.
Why it matters: County bank-authority resolutions set who may legally sign checks and how county funds will be disbursed. Commissioners said they had received public concerns about interim signing and asked staff to make the checks-and-balances clear in writing so that the county’s procedures are transparent.
Next steps: The board ratified the resolution 3–0. Staff said they will file the completed bank paperwork with the county’s bank and include an item on the next meeting’s consent agenda to ratify any interim signatures made while commissioners were unavailable.
Ending: Commissioners requested a concise, public-facing explanation of the interim-signature procedure and the internal controls that apply, to be available to residents who ask for details.
