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Council questions scope and cost of CLA services; pulls Department of Revenue fines line for follow-up
Summary
Council members probed a roughly $281,220 professional-services budget tied to CLA (municipal accounting contractor) and heard the city manager outline a plan to use CLA as a short-term fix while transitioning to a smaller finance-systems team; the Department of Revenue traffic-fines line was pulled from consent for follow-up.
Port Richey — The City Council scrutinized a large professional‑services allocation tied to CLA, the contractor providing accounting and audit support, and asked staff for more detail before finalizing budget allocations.
City Manager Don King Jr. said CLA has been doing deep corrective work — audits, bank reconciliations and monthly reporting — and that the city depends on CLA now to 'get us to where we need to be fixed.' He said his intention is to reduce dependence on the contractor by building a finance-systems team that would cost an estimated $80,000 per year (a mix of part‑time/contract specialists) to provide ongoing CPA coverage and operational support while the city stabilizes systems.
Council members also flagged the Department of Revenue 'Traffic Fines' line item on the consent agenda; because the line’s purpose and figures were unclear to some members, council pulled that item for follow-up so staff can explain the budgeted $750,000 projection and the monthly transfers tied to red‑light camera operations.
The remainder of the consent agenda was approved without the Department of Revenue line. Staff said they will return with clarifying detail on the CLA line and the Department of Revenue revenue/expense flows on a future agenda.
