Finance committee questions Treasurer Fred Harris over delayed 2025 audit; committee votes to seek forensic review

Chesterfield County's finance committee pressed Treasurer Fred Harris on Nov. 19 over staffing and software problems that officials said threaten the county's ability to submit required 2025 audit documentation on time, and the committee voted to recommend a full forensic audit to the full council.

The committee amended the meeting agenda to add discussion of the "2025 Chesterfield County audit — treasurer Fred Harris" and later moved into executive session to discuss employment matters in the treasurer's office. After returning, the committee approved a motion to recommend a full forensic audit, including participation from the state treasurer's office, citing concerns about "inconsistency and missing money." The motion carried after members responded "Aye" when asked for approval; the transcript does not record a roll-call tally.

Why it matters: Counties must provide reconciled tax-account information annually so outside auditors can complete the financial audit and meet state submission requirements. Committee members said the problem has recurred and that taxpayers could face repeated costs if the treasurer's office cannot produce the files internally.

What was said: Chair (unnamed) opened the discussion and invited Treasurer Fred Harris to explain how his office would meet the deadline after the recent departure of the staff member who handled the reconciliation. Harris said he had "spoken to them" and arranged for outside assistance to come in immediately after Thanksgiving and that two local treasurer offices and county accountants may help with training and completion. He described technical difficulties integrating QS1 with the Harris general-ledger software and said, "I'm not an I'm not an accountant," acknowledging those limits.

Committee members pressed Harris on continuity and leadership, noting that in a prior year outside assistance cost about $20,000. One member said the county would again "have to go back on the back of the taxpayers for more money" if the office could not complete the reconciliation internally. Harris responded that he had "done a lot of self reflection" and conceded the short-term outlook would be difficult: "It's gonna be ugly in the short term, but I feel like we're gonna get that back office straight finally."

Action taken: The committee voted to enter executive session under what was stated in the meeting as "San Juan code section 34 70 a 1" to discuss employment and personnel matters in the treasurer's office. After the executive session, Mr. Ford moved and Mr. McClendon seconded a motion that the committee recommend a full forensic audit to the full council, to include somebody from the state treasurer's office. The motion carried; the transcript records members saying "Aye" but does not provide a numeric tally or named roll-call.

What remains unresolved: The transcript records that Harris had not yet secured a firm quote from Camden for the outside work and that the office may need to subcontract the reconciliation work again. The timing and estimated total cost for any new outside contract were not specified. The committee recommended a forensic audit to the full council; the council's response and any scheduling or funding decisions were not recorded in the transcript.

Next steps: The committee's recommendation will be presented to the full council at its next meeting. The committee adjourned following that motion.