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Council outlines finance oversight committee as city races to finish audits
Summary
Blue Ridge council discussed creating a four-member finance oversight committee and hiring short-term audit consultants after concerns that the current consultant was providing limited hours and deadlines for the 2024 and 2025 audits may be at risk.
Council members and staff in Blue Ridge agreed to pursue a finance oversight committee and short-term consulting help to expedite outstanding audits and improve transparency.
At the workshop, speakers said the city's outside consultant (JAT) had been working only limited hours on the 2024 audit. One council member said, "JAT was only working 20 hours a month," and urged bringing in outside municipal-audit experience to avoid missing audit deadlines. The mayor and other members raised the risk that while the 2024 audit could be completed on a projected timeline (end of March into May), the 2025 audit is due at the end of June and could be missed without additional resources.
Council discussed a proposed short-term engagement with retired municipal auditor Tammy Galvvis, who offered a proposal to consult for about 32 hours to review JAT's work, coordinate with Finance Director Lisa Hoy and the city's auditor (Tacy Joe), and recommend whether to continue with the current consultant or hire additional resources. A speaker said the goal is to have audited 2024 books by June and avoid missing subsequent deadlines.
The mayor proposed a four-member committee composed of local financial professionals nominated by council members for mayoral appointment. The committee would review consultant recommendations, advise staff, and provide transparent, community-based oversight of the city's accounting recovery work.
Staff said an accounts-payable position is open and hiring additional day-to-day finance support would free the finance director to work on audit completion. No formal action was taken at the workshop; council members supported moving forward and nominated a process to collect recommendations by email.
