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Nogales council debates independent forensic audit, tables item for March
Summary
Councilmembers debated procuring an independent forensic audit of city financial activity and controls. Some members argued for an in-depth review; others said 'forensic' wording could unfairly imply employee misconduct. Council moved to table the item for more information and to return in March.
The Nogales City Council took up a proposal to procure an independent forensic audit of city financial operations, controls and recordkeeping. Councilmember Doyle and other supporters said a deep, external review is needed to identify systemic risks, improve inventory and cash procedures, and ensure accountability across departments that handle receipts and expenditures.
City staff outlined prior risk findings from cybersecurity and administrative reviews, noted gaps in audit trails and described steps already underway—such as restricting departmental cash acceptance, implementing Workday to improve transaction logging and planning an asset-control warehouse. Staff also provided a short list of candidate audit firms for council review.
Several council members urged caution on the language of the proposal. One member said the term "forensic audit" can imply theft or misconduct and could unduly embarrass current employees; another speaker and the city attorney clarified that forensic audits can also be used to identify risk and improve processes without presuming wrongdoing.
Councilmember Doyle moved to table the item until the March meeting to give members time to review materials, refine scope and consider alternative naming (for example, "in‑depth compliance review"), and to allow staff to provide cost estimates and recommended scope. The council agreed to return the item in March; no procurement or contract vote occurred on Feb. 4.
The council also discussed next steps to tighten IT logging, inventory controls and payment processing across departments prior to any external engagement.
