Crookston council approves John Rosco as finance director; staff aim to phase out outside auditors

The Crookston City Council voted to approve a resolution appointing John Rosco as the city’s new finance director, with a proposed start date of Jan. 12. City staff outlined Rosco’s credentials, noting a bachelor’s degree in accounting, a minor in management information systems and more than 20 years of experience auditing and advising Minnesota municipal governments.

Council members asked how the hire would affect the city’s ongoing reliance on outside accounting firms. Staff said the city has paid in excess of $200,000 most years — in some years over $400,000 — for contracted accounting and audit work and budgeted approximately $60,000 annually for the independent annual audit itself. To ensure continuity while Rosco acclimates, the city signed a month‑to‑month contract with CLA to support completion of the 2024 audit and to assist with audit prep; staff said the goal is to discontinue that contract by the end of February if feasible, though the city will continue to engage an independent auditor for the formal audit as required.

Council also pressed on Rosco’s residency: staff said Rosco currently lives outside Crookston and expects a remote component to the job but is willing to be in the office and attend council and budget meetings as needed. Staff told council the finance team is comfortable supporting a hybrid arrangement and that Rosco will be full-time with the city, not concurrently employed elsewhere.

The council carried the resolution by roll call. The next steps are onboarding and transitional coordination between Rosco, the finance team and contracted auditors.