Trustees approve $348,666.76 in payments, three-year audit contract and post amended budget for new building

The DeKalb Township Board of Trustees approved payment of the December audit reports totaling $262,921.43 and January bills of $85,745.33 at its Jan. 27 meeting.

A roll-call vote recorded four members voting in favor; the meeting record lists the ayes as Trustee Ken, Trustee McNutt, Trustee Thurman and Supervisor Hess. The minutes state the motion passed by a 4-2 margin; which members cast the two nays was not specified in the transcript.

The board also approved a three-year agreement for professional auditing services with Flintoclassian Associates. The supervisor said the township is required to conduct an annual audit because it takes in more than $850,000 in revenue; Flintoclassian has provided audits for the past three years. A roll-call vote on the contract recorded Trustee Thurman, Trustee McNutt, Trustee Ken and Supervisor Hess voting aye; the motion carried 4-0.

Trustees discussed an amended budget posted online for the township. The supervisor said line items with surplus funds have been moved into a capital fund to support finishing construction of the township's new building; a construction loan is being finalized with Resource Bank and the projected completion date is the end of 2025. House said the township expects to roll a short-term construction loan into a longer-term loan, with a maximum term the supervisor said is about 10 years.

During discussion board members and staff also noted statewide scarcity of certified public accountants willing to perform government audits. The supervisor said she and staff have discussed potential changes to audit frequency in state law, and that some townships currently are hiring auditors from out of state because of local scarcity.

Ending: The board approved the payments, the audit contract and the amended budget posting; staff will continue work on loan documents and return with updates as construction planning progresses.