Residents press city on audits, claims and street-closure fees; manager explains audit timing and fees
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Summary
Residents asked the commission for clarity about a claims line for planters, the city's audit schedule and forensic-audit history, and street-closure fees. City Manager Grant Gager said the audit contract runs about $34,000 annually, auditors were on-site recently, and that special-event street-closure fees are set in the adopted schedule.
At the Livingston City Commission meeting, members of the public pressed staff for clearer financial accounting and audit information and asked where certain expenses and services are recorded.
What residents asked
- A commenter noted a $2,000 claims line described as planters and asked whether the city owned the planters, who paid for them, and where they were stored. - Another resident asked how frequently the city is audited, who selects the auditor and whether a forensic audit had ever been performed.
City manager response
City Manager Grant Gager replied that the specific planter invoices were paid by the Livingston Urban Renewal Agency (URA), not the city's general fund, and that planters are stored at the public works facility for the winter. He also summarized the audit program: "The audit contract is approximately $34,000 per year," Gager said, adding auditors are in the building each fiscal year and the audit report would be presented to the commission in an upcoming meeting.
On forensic audits, Gager said those are typically undertaken only when specific concerns or signs of malfeasance appear: a forensic audit of a full year of city claims would be "a very large endeavor and so would be very costly to taxpayers," he said. Staff and commissioners noted that commission members and residents can flag particular items for auditors to review during the normal audit process.
Street closure and special-event fees
Gager also read the city's adopted fee schedule for special events: a Monday'Friday daytime street shutdown is $500 per street (up to two blocks) while after 4 p.m. and weekend closures are $750 for the initial two blocks; additional per-block fees apply. The fee includes traffic-control devices that previously had been billed separately.
Context and next steps
City staff said they could provide more department-level detail about claims on request, but some reporting formats are also constrained by state-required accounting and a common chart of accounts used across Montana municipalities. Staff offered to provide periodic transmittals or quarterly summaries on the consent agenda to improve transparency.
Ending note
Commissioners and staff encouraged residents to email the city manager with specific invoice or claims numbers if they want staff to pull and explain particular charges; staff agreed to consider ways to improve the public transmittal of periodic financial statements.
