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Ceres council tables $4,500 e‑filing contract as audit and budget questions persist
Summary
Council members delayed approval of a $4,500 annual contract to enable electronic filing of Form 700s and campaign statements, citing an incomplete city audit and concerns about whether funds should be committed before audit results are available.
The Ceres City Council on March 10 tabled consideration of a proposed contract to allow electronic filing of Form 700s and campaign statements after members said they needed more information about the city's financial position and the status of an ongoing audit.
Council Member Casey opposed moving forward while the audit remained incomplete. "We haven't had a successful reportable audit on previous physical financial activities," Casey said, adding that the council should avoid committing funds for the upcoming fiscal year until it can confirm the city's financial standing.
City staff explained the $4,500 annual fee would be charged to contract services accounts and that sufficient funds were available in the accounts listed for the program. Staff said the program would allow roughly 30 staff members and various filers to submit forms electronically and would also support required ethics training and campaign statement filing.
Staff also told the council the audit is ongoing and that results were expected to return to council in April or May; the city planned a closed‑session presentation on March 24 to give an overview of the financial position. After discussion, council moved and seconded a motion to pull the item for further review; the motion to table carried on a roll call vote.
The council did not approve the e‑filing contract at the March 10 meeting and asked staff to return with additional budget information and audit results.
