Audit committee moves Ruben Brown audit out of closed session, sets next open meeting for April 6

The Audit Committee voted to amend today’s agenda to remove the Ruben Brown financial audit from closed session and add a discussion of meeting frequency to the open session, then discussed audit timelines and the proposed budget schedule.

Committee members approved the agenda change after Doctor T moved to amend the agenda and AJ Foster seconded; a roll-call confirmation recorded affirmative responses from Doctor T, Amy Bogy, Doctor Collins Adams and AJ Foster. "Motion carries," the committee recorded.

Why it matters: moving the Ruben Brown audit into a different session clears time in closed session and allowed the committee to discuss whether it needs to meet in March. Staff said department-level budget reviews should be complete by mid‑March, which informed the committee’s plan to delay the next open meeting until April unless an urgent matter arises.

Budget and audit timelines: Doctor Berry said department meetings are under way and staff are doing a "deep dive" into two years of spending to prepare a proposed budget; she told the committee she expects departmental work to be complete by mid‑March and aims to deliver a proposed budget to the board after that review. On the Ruben Brown audit, committee members discussed the current status: Speaker 5 stated the Ruben Brown financial audit had been finalized and agreed to send a copy to Doctor Hubbard. Doctor Berry said a closeout meeting with Ruben Brown is tentatively scheduled for April and that staff will backward‑map document timelines to ensure year‑end deliverables (including the single audit) are met.

Handling and disclosure: Speaker 3 asked that Doctor Berry coordinate with Miss Stobel before distributing any audit materials and noted general counsel also wants to review materials before release. Speaker 2 noted they are bound by nondisclosure in their internal role and sought clarification; the committee agreed to control dissemination and ensure accuracy before public distribution.

Scheduling and adjournment: After discussing the audits and budget timing, the committee agreed there was no clear need to meet in March. Doctor Collins Adams moved to adjourn the open session; the motion was seconded and, after a roll call, carried. "The next meeting will be held April 6," Speaker 2 stated for the record, followed by confirmation that the committee intends the meeting to be the first Monday in April at 4:30 p.m. The meeting was adjourned.

Next steps: Staff will send the Ruben Brown financial audit to Doctor Hubbard, schedule the Ruben Brown closeout meeting (tentatively in April), and complete department budget reviews by mid‑March.