Alleghany County meeting amends minutes, debates forensic audit and holds fire-tax funds pending signatures

During a meeting in Alleghany County, members voted to approve minutes with an amendment to the years designated for audit and discussed seeking a forensic-level review of several fiscal years, expressing concern about costs and auditor availability.

The meeting opened with the chair calling the session to order and introducing minutes for approval. After discussion about which fiscal years should be audited, Speaker 4 moved to approve the minutes with the amendment changing the audit-year reference from 2021 to 2020; the motion carried on an oral vote reported as "5 0." Speaker 2 had earlier flagged the need to "make a change in the years for the audit."

Why it matters: participants were concerned about public accountability for fire-tax funds and whether a higher-level forensic audit is necessary or practical given cost and sourcing constraints. Speaker 5 warned that paying an auditor "2 or 300,000 to recoup 90,000" would not be cost-effective, and staff said some previously considered auditors (Scott and a subcontracted group) are unable to perform the forensic-level review requested.

County officials and staff discussed next steps for finding an auditor. Speaker 6 asked whether the district attorney could provide a list of auditors, and others suggested the state auditor might also be able to refer qualified firms. Staff indicated they will continue searching and may accept the same level of audit already completed for the years if the DA and other parties find that work satisfactory. As Speaker 1 put it, "What they can do is do the same level of audit, but on all the years that they've already done."

Separately, the board discussed the status of consolidated documents with the fire department. Staff reported the department had seen the documents but had not signed them; Speaker 1 said, "we're gonna, have to give them a deadline for signing it." Members agreed to hold fire-tax distributions until paperwork and signatures are returned and to make the records available to taxpayers once completed.

The meeting concluded after further procedural business and a motion to adjourn.

What remains unresolved: meeting participants did not name a specific auditing firm or set a firm procurement timeline. The transcript records differing or garbled fiscal-year notations for some entries; staff and members agreed to clarify and correct those fiscal-year references prior to finalizing audit scopes and requests.