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Council authorizes audit engagement with Amick & Company amid timing questions
Summary
Jackson City Council approved audit engagement letters and addenda with Amick & Company PSC for fiscal years ending 09/30/2024 and 09/30/2025, while members debated contingency timing and potential grant impacts if deadlines slip.
Jackson City Council voted to authorize the city council president to execute audit engagement letters and addenda with Amick & Company PSC covering audits for fiscal years ending Sept. 30, 2024, and Sept. 30, 2025. The orders include contingencies that the firm obtain state certification and registration with the state auditor before the city executes the agreements.
The council’s city attorney, Drew Martin, said the firm has begun routine administrative registration with the State Board of Public Accountancy and the state auditor’s office, and staff had received a signed addendum from the auditor indicating progress. Council members noted the firm likely could begin planning and engagement activities before final certification but stressed that no legal effect would attach to the contract until contingencies are removed.
CFO Jillian Caldwell told the council staff has been preparing financial records for the audits and is ready to work with the new auditors. Several members pressed for clarity on deadlines: one councilmember asked whether shifting start dates would imperil other obligations, and the administration said the legal deadline for the FY25 audit remains Sept. 15, 2026. City Attorney Martin advised against moving the FY25 deadline without confirming the vendor could not meet it, adding that Amick could be asked to begin preparatory work at its own risk.
Council members also discussed potential downstream impacts on grant compliance if audits slip. A member asked whether state and federal partners (including the Department of Transportation) would accept a revised audit completion date; the administration said it would contact grantors to explain any delay but could not guarantee outcomes.
The council approved the two orders with the contingency language intact and retained options to amend deadlines later if the vendor requests an extension. The council did not approve any immediate schedule change to the FY25 legal deadline.
Next steps: staff will confirm Amick’s registration status with the State Board of Public Accountancy and the state auditor’s office, and the administration will follow up with affected grantors if timing changes are requested.
