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Council presses for timely audits, plans to reengage Baker Tilly
Summary
Council members said 2024 financial audits arrived too late for budget planning, urged reengaging Baker Tilly to complete work on an accelerated timetable, and asked staff for a checklist and April follow-up to ensure audits meet next budget cycle needs.
A council meeting focused on delayed financial audits devolved into a push for clearer timelines and accountability after members said the 2024 audit results were not delivered in time to inform budget decisions. A council member said, “What we know is that our audits, at least in '24, are not happening in a timely manner for the council to have information for budget time,” and urged reengagement with audit firm Baker Tilly so the report arrives in the late‑summer timeframe the council expects.
The council member said the council had reengaged Baker Tilly and that at no point did staff or others have authorization to disengage the council or seek a new firm. “Everything was circumventing the council,” the same council member said, describing surprise that the firm was asked to step away and attributing the change to management decisions.
Officials discussed how the audit delays have practical consequences: council members said receiving a 2024 audit as late as February 2026 leaves them without current financial information when making possible tax or staffing decisions. One council member noted, “I got a 01/24 audit in February '26, which is the most stale numbers you could possibly give a council to try to make [decisions].”
Staff acknowledged some audit steps are underway and described the pricing and schedule as tied to milestones in the contract; they told council members that work could begin once the council formally authorized reengagement. A council member asked for a clear checklist of deliverables and a schedule that would allow audits to be completed in time for the 2025 budget cycle and requested finance staff set a follow‑up meeting in April.
The meeting contained repeated exchanges over whether internal oversight gaps and personnel changes—several participants referenced employees named in the discussion—contributed to fieldwork delays. Staff and council members agreed on the need for greater transparency in the process and regular updates to ensure the audit does not again miss the budget calendar.
No formal motion or vote to rehire or authorize Baker Tilly was recorded in the transcript; council members directed staff to prepare the timeline and checklist and to schedule an April update. The council expects staff to provide status reports and to begin audit fieldwork once the council acts.
