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Residents urge Gloucester County to commission independent forensic audit after tax increase
Summary
Residents and several former county officials pressed the Board of Supervisors to order an independent forensic audit, citing a recent tax increase, questions about ARPA spending and unexplained budget shortfalls. Board asked staff to return with tiered RFP options and cost estimates.
Dozens of residents told the Gloucester County Board of Supervisors on May 19 that they want an independent forensic audit of county finances after the board’s recent decision to raise taxes.
Philip Bazani, a former supervisor who said he served on the board for 12 years, described the difference between a routine financial audit and a forensic review and urged the county to hire an independent firm. “A forensic audit goes much deeper… it’s more like a detective investigation,” Bazani said, urging the board to commission an outside firm to trace transactions and verify whether tax dollars were spent appropriately.
Other speakers, including Randy Orga and Lisa Reid, echoed that call. Orga said voters were asked to approve a referendum that, he contended, misrepresented the costs and outcomes and that residents “deserve to know” where money went. Reid said she received no justification for the tax increase and told the board, “If you’re going to raise the taxes, I deserved a justification for it and I have gotten none.”
Several public commenters specifically asked staff to examine federal pandemic‑era funds. Terresa Alultimus said Gloucester County received $7.24 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding and asked whether records show where the money went and how many residents benefited from the broadband appropriation.
Board members responded with a proposal to scope the work rather than order a single, open‑ended review immediately. Supervisor comments coalesced around a tiered RFP approach for staff to pursue: (1) a narrow, targeted audit of pandemic and other federal funding streams; (2) a countywide compliance/forensic look back over a multiyear period; and (3) an expanded county‑and‑school audit if warranted. The board asked procurement staff to benchmark recent forensic‑audit procurements in other Virginia localities and return with estimated costs and timelines.
Interim County Administrator George Baines and procurement staff were directed to gather cost estimates and to consult with other localities that have recently issued similar requests for proposals. No final contract was approved at the meeting; supervisors said they wanted concrete price proposals and options before committing public funds or defining the audit’s exact scope.
What happens next: Staff will report back with procurement options and cost estimates; supervisors said decisions about the depth and breadth of any audit should follow that information.
