Madison County’s Board of Supervisors opened sealed proposals for annual audit services for fiscal years 2025–2027 and agreed to delay hiring an outside auditor after public commenters raised transparency and conflict-of-interest concerns.

Michelle Brandt, Madison County auditor, told the board that sealed bids were received and that the State Auditor's office packet included hourly rates and an estimate of about 1,000 hours per year. The board also opened a sealed bid from Modlin and Jenkins LLC; the Modlin and Jenkins fee schedule listed approximately $70,000 for FY25, $72,050 for FY26 and $75,000 for FY27 and included travel/filing fees noted in the packet. Board members said they wanted time to review the full proposals before taking action.

Multiple residents urged caution. Vicky Brenner (Winterset) criticized the move to hire a private firm, saying "Perception is reality" and warning that outsourcing audits when the state auditor is already involved could create a public trust problem. Kevin Charter, calling from the public line, asked the board to explain how it chose candidates, what firms had been contacted and how private bids compared in cost to the state auditor.

Following the public comment and the public reading of bid materials, the board voted to table the resolution to hire an outside contractor until its Dec. 9 meeting so supervisors could review the documents and follow up on questions about on-site presence, scope and FOIA matters. The board also agreed to provide electronic copies of the bid packets to the auditor for distribution to supervisors.

Next steps: the board will review both packets, ask bidders for clarifications as needed, and reconvene the matter at its Dec. 9 meeting. The board did not vote on any contract at this meeting.