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Live Oak officials cite clean audit, insurance recovery and procurement steps as council presses for separate forensic review
Summary
City officials told council members the regular audit was clean, that insurance paid $350,000 toward a reported $450,000 loss, and that procurement for an outside auditor is ready; council members asked for an internal transition report and broader recruitment for the CFO role.
A council member asked the City of Live Oak for the findings of an audit discussed among the city manager, the outgoing finance director and the incoming director, and for an internal record of what was covered during the transition of financial staff.
The city manager said staff reviewed policies used by neighboring cities, that an employee identified as "Miss Tammy" sat through the audit with "Miss Joanne," and that the city's regular audit was "a clean audit." He told the council the city had changed some policies after a loss and had received a $350,000 insurance payment that recovered part of a reported $450,000 shortfall. "We did receive a check, for $350,000 from the insurance company that helped get some of it back," he said.
Council members reiterated a prior vote to hire an outside auditor to investigate the loss. One member said the council had voted to bring in an outside audit team and asked why that work had not yet been performed; the manager said procurement for outside auditors is complete and that proposals and interested firms were on his desk.
Separately, council members pressed for clearer documentation of the internal transition between outgoing and incoming finance staff. One council member said they wanted an internal handover checklist and a written summary of what the three—city manager, outgoing director and prospective incoming director—had discussed, not another external financial audit.
On staffing, speakers said the finance director posting has appeared on Riverbend and the city's website but urged broader recruitment through the Florida League of Cities and professional accounting outlets so the council can choose from a wider pool. The manager said the city has posted the position and will meet with council members after the meeting to discuss extending advertisement if the council wants.
The council did not record a formal vote during the discussion. The most recent procedural step reported on the record was that procurement for outside auditors is available to the council and that staff will follow up on advertisement reach for the finance director position.
