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North Smithfield council approves $2.09 million in bills, hears payroll and ledger backlog update
Summary
Councilors approved bills totaling $2,093,726.22 and pressed finance staff about general-ledger delays and payroll posting; staff said funds have been withdrawn but entries remain to be recorded in eFinance and estimated one to two months to catch up once positions are filled.
The North Smithfield Town Council approved payment of bills totaling $2,093,726.22 and received an update from finance staff about payroll and general-ledger delays ahead of budget season.
An unidentified councilor moved to approve the bills, and on the record the mover stated the totals: General Fund $475,714.08 and Sewer and Water $1,572,909.20, for a total of $2,093,726.22. The motion was seconded and passed on a roll-call vote with affirmative responses recorded.
During discussion before the vote, councilors questioned finance staff about several items in the packet, including why a juvenile hearing board stipend had not been reflected in the general ledger. Finance staff (identified in the discussion as Tony) said funds had been withdrawn but not yet posted to the town's eFinance general ledger; the delay stemmed from staff vacancies and an ongoing audit. Tony told the council that once new hires and work reallocation occur he expects payroll and posting to be current in roughly one to two months.
Why it matters: approving large payments is a routine council function, but the discussion highlighted internal accounting lags that councilors said they want resolved before the upcoming budget season. Council members asked whether motions should be amended to reflect a recently paid invoice that accounted for about $520,000 of the general-fund figure; that question was raised on the record but the council proceeded.
What the record does not show: the transcript does not specify which invoices make up the totals beyond the numbers stated on the record, nor does it provide a complete list of vote tallies by name beyond affirmative roll-call responses.
