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Weddington moves to engage prior auditor after contractor fails to deliver; June 30 audit deadline looms
Summary
The town’s selected auditor missed contract deadlines and stopped responding; the council authorized staff to re‑engage the prior auditor to complete the fiscal‑year audit by June 30 to avoid potential state withholding of sales tax distributions.
Weddington officials told the council on May 11 that the town’s newly selected auditor failed to deliver audited financial statements by the contract deadline and has been unresponsive to repeated contacts.
Finance officer Leslie said the auditor did not produce the FY25 audited financial statements by the December 31 due date and missed an amended March 31 deadline. The town received a notice of non‑compliance from the State Treasurer’s office. Leslie said she had contacted the prior auditor, who agreed to take on the engagement and believed she could complete the audit by June 30 if the contract is approved and the Local Government Commission (LGC) paperwork proceeds.
Officials said they will file an appeal to the LGC by the June 30 deadline if necessary and noted the state statute allows the LGC to withhold sales‑tax distributions from municipalities whose audits are not filed; however, staff said the town has historically been in compliance and believes the LGC would be unlikely to withhold distributions given these circumstances if they demonstrate timely corrective steps.
Leslie also said the town will reissue an RFP for future audit services. Council members expressed frustration at being "ghosted" by the auditor after providing requested documentation and said they expect a prompt resolution to protect revenue streams and meet statutory requirements.
