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Council hears options to revive audit and finance committee as staff to return draft ordinance
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Summary
Finance director presented the historical record and three options for reinstating an audit/finance committee — council-only, citizen-only or hybrid membership — and staff will return with a draft ordinance reflecting council preferences.
City Finance Director Perez Mohit reviewed the history of Kyle's audit and finance committees, starting with a 2006 resolution that established an advisory body and tracing subsequent ordinances that created, amended and in 2015 abolished the strategic planning and finance committee. Mohit told council he found little evidence of minutes from the earliest committee and said after 2015 city council assumed most oversight responsibilities.
Mohit summarized typical audit and finance committee duties — oversight of financial reporting, internal controls, risk management, debt and investment policies — and shared results from a survey of 10 peer cities. Peer approaches varied: some cities use council-only committees, others use hybrids with citizen members, and some (Cedar Park, Leander, Round Rock) rely on council to perform these duties.
He presented three sample options for Kyle: an ordinance-created committee of council members meeting monthly as needed; a council/citizen hybrid with terms and meeting frequency set by ordinance; and a customizable option the council could tailor for membership, terms, meeting cadence and specific responsibilities. Mohit said he was not recommending a specific choice but asked for direction; he plans to return with a draft ordinance incorporating council preferences.
Councilmembers asked about the city's current use of outside auditors and advisors (independent auditors, financial advisor Samco Capital, bond counsel, investment adviser) and noted the charter requirement to rotate auditors every five years. Several members said a committee could add independent scrutiny between staff and full council and suggested either a resident-majority model with qualifications or a council-majority hybrid depending on desired scope. Staff said phase 2 of the facilities/master-plan work will include further funding and programmatic detail where relevant.
The council provided feedback and asked staff to return with a draft ordinance presenting the options discussed, including recommended membership, minimum qualifications and proposed meeting frequency.
