Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Audit And Finance Reform topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Finance Committee plans auditor briefing, outside budgeting help after critical audit
Summary
Finance Committee members agreed to bring audit findings to the full council and schedule an auditor briefing in early September; the committee also is using a temporary municipal budgeting consultant to institutionalize fixes and is considering short-term CPA support to prepare for future audits.
Members of the Finance Committee agreed this week to make the city audit findings public and to schedule an auditor presentation for early September, saying they want the full council to see corrective actions and ask questions.
The committee’s finance lead said the audit report will be posted online and that staff plan to bring the auditor in for a presentation in early September; another participant confirmed Sept. 4 as the date being discussed for an initial review. The finance lead said the audit will also be added to a regular council agenda so all members can review it.
The move follows a review that committee members described as more specific than prior audits, including corrective-action steps aimed at closing longstanding procedural gaps. “An auditor’s job is to find problems,” one committee member said, adding that the immediate focus should be implementing corrective measures rather than assigning blame.
As part of the follow-up, the committee is contracting municipal budgeting expert Sue Lessard to work with finance staff and department heads on policies and procedures. Committee members said Lessard’s role is to help institutionalize improved practices so they persist beyond the current staff and council.
Committee members also discussed hiring short-term CPA or audit support to align accounting practices with auditor expectations. One member said an interim contract of several months could help the department prepare for audits and avoid recurring surprises. The finance lead noted a prior engagement with outside accounting support and said the council may look to reallocate funds in the current fiscal year to cover any short-term assistance.
The committee scheduled internal follow-ups and pledged to track progress on corrective actions; members said they will return to the council with updates as the audit remediation progresses.
