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Council votes to pursue forensic audit of treasurer's office after committee flagged repeated late reconciliations
Summary
The finance committee recommended a full forensic audit of the treasurer's office after repeated late reconciliations and a $19,000 write-off; council approved the recommendation and asked staff to plan oversight and corrective measures.
Chesterfield County Council voted to pursue a full forensic audit of the treasurer's office after the finance committee reported recurring problems with reconciliations and accounting controls.
Finance Committee Chair Mister Smallwood told council the committee reviewed a multi‑year pattern of late reconciliations and two prior instances requiring outside accounting firms; he said the committee's unanimous recommendation is a "complete forensic audit" to restore management clarity and taxpayer confidence. Committee members said the auditors had cited a $19,000 write-off during the last audit and that the office's reconciliation process had missed deadlines.
Council members discussed scope and cost and emphasized they were not alleging criminal wrongdoing, but said the county needed a "reset" to ensure stewardship of taxpayer dollars. One member noted the treasurer is an elected official and county council does not control day‑to‑day treasurer staffing, but argued oversight of public funds is a council responsibility.
The council approved a motion to move forward with a forensic audit and instructed the finance committee to recommend process changes to reduce recurrence.
