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Vero Beach council pushes to act on audit, plans finance-system replacement
Summary
Council members asked staff to summarize audit corrective actions, seek an extension for the 2023–24 audit, and place a conservative placeholder for a multi-year finance (ERP) systems upgrade in the next budget while staff prepares an RFP and cost estimate.
The Vero Beach City Council pressed staff on follow-up from the city’s recently submitted 2022–23 audit and set a path to replace the city’s aging finance systems.
City Manager Monty Falls told the council the 2022–23 audit was submitted May 8 and the 2023–24 audit is due June 30; staff will request an extension to Sept. 30 from the Joint Legislative Auditing Committee and is preparing a calendar of deadlines for finance reporting. Falls said a staff team has begun evaluating finance systems and may need outside assistance to develop an RFP and a realistic cost estimate for a replacement Enterprise Resource Planning system.
“An internal team and staff has already started looking at some of those” options and will decide whether to prepare an RFP or bring in outside expertise, Falls said. He told the council staff will provide a realistic placeholder amount to include in next year’s budget so the council can consider capital funding early in the budget process.
Council members emphasized two priorities: finish the outstanding audit work and then move quickly to scope a systems replacement. Councilman John Carroll said the council should formally accept the audit recommendations so the city manager can direct staff to implement corrective actions. Finance staff and the manager agreed to distribute a concise summary of findings and the mitigation steps already underway.
Councilmembers discussed timelines and costs for a replacement project. Staff warned the rollout would likely take multiple years and recommended budgeting not just software costs but implementation, training and consultant support. One councilmember recommended a conservative fiscal placeholder rather than undershooting estimated costs.
What happens next: staff will seek the JLAC extension for the current audit, provide the council with a list of corrective actions and mitigations, and return with an RFP proposal or consultant recommendation and a budget placeholder for the next fiscal cycle.
