Lake County supervisors approved an amendment to the county's contract with Clifton Larson Allen LLP on an increase of $200,000, bringing total compensation under the agreement to $350,000, following a 3–1 vote at a regular meeting. The vote followed extended discussion about whether auditors should assist with implementing the county's new accounting software and requests for more procurement details.

A supervisor who identified themselves in the meeting as Supervisor Sabatier said they remained uncomfortable with the arrangement, arguing that "our auditors who do our single audit... are helping us to set up our systems so we can pass an audit," and described that appearance as a conflict of interest. The supervisor also cited a larger figure for the software installation, saying it was "$7,000,000" and arguing the software vendor should be accountable for proper setup.

Staff responded that the requested amendment is an increase of $200,000 to reach a $350,000 cap and said Clifton Larson Allen (CLA) had engaged an outside consultant for parts of the project. An unidentified staff member told the board, "There’s no conflict of interest. The external auditors wouldn't allow that," and added CLA’s work is limited to oversight rather than direct management of implementation. That staff member warned that without approval, "it really puts everything at a halt. I'll likely have invoices that we can't pay."

Board members debated whether the work had begun as an RFP or as a small contract that grew over time. Several supervisors asked for a fuller briefing on December 9 that would present all contracts and the procurement history for the accounting software project in one place. Staff told the board the CLA amendment was intended to cover the full project term (noted in discussion as February 2025 through August 2026) and that the county's planned go-live date for the new software is July 1.

When the motion to approve the amendment was called, an initial second was withdrawn and a final second was recorded as coming from Supervisor Owen. The meeting recorded an "Aye" from at least one board member and a "Nay" from the supervisor who had raised conflict concerns; the presiding officer announced the motion carried, 3–1. Staff said they would still present additional contract information at the December 9 meeting but that approval allows payment for recent consultant work to proceed.

The amendment authorizes the chair to sign and permits the county to compensate CLA up to the newly agreed cap. Board members asked staff to return with a consolidated explanation of all contracts and vendor roles on the December 9 agenda.