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Keene staff push back on social media claims; city outlines audit, water meter and fleet fixes
Summary
City leaders told the Keene City Council July 2 they are addressing misinformation circulating online and described concrete steps on audits, attorney fees, water-meter replacements and fleet purchases while urging residents to verify records with city staff.
Keene city officials pushed back Tuesday night against social media posts they said misstate city actions and finances, and provided detailed updates on ongoing audits, water-meter replacements and fleet and police building costs.
City manager (Mr. Sites) told the council the administration has been working with auditors on FY2024 and FY2025 reviews and is providing previously missing financial information. He said systemic record problems remain from prior years and a cyberattack, and that staff is implementing controls to prevent recurrence. "We were not required to submit a response to the office of the attorney general, but I went ahead and did file a response out of respect to his office," a city staff member said during the meeting.
Why it matters: The council is under public scrutiny because of reported irregularities; the city said completing an accurate audit and restoring routine reconciliation will be necessary to restore normal budgeting and to meet statutory filing deadlines under Local Government Code ch.103.
Officials gave specifics that they said address rumors online: staff reported missing bank reconciliations and roughly 6,000 unprocessed transactions in accounting records from previous years, and said a new auditor and internal changes should shorten and improve the next audit.
On legal costs, the city provided a 14-month summary of attorney invoices by category (city development, council matters, open-records, HR and the police department building). The city manager said title insurance is covering much of the outside counsel work on the police building matter.
On infrastructure, staff described a multi‑year program to replace smart water meters that lost connectivity after an antenna removal at the water tower. The manager said the city had reduced the number of "blank" (nonreporting) meters to 76 and explained that for accounts with nonworking meters the city temporarily bills only the base rate (inside city limits $25). He urged residents who doubt their meter accuracy to request a ratio or flow test.
Council members pressed for transparency and details. "If residents honestly believe that their meter is wrong... they can call us and request a ratio test," the city manager said. On the police building purchase, staff confirmed the city paid $641,000 and cited a market estimate of roughly $690,000.
The manager and other staff repeatedly asked residents to come to city hall for records rather than rely on social media posts. "We're trying to be the most transparent city possible," he said.
Next steps: staff will continue work with auditors, finish reconciliations and present budget‑workshop materials in July; residents can request meter tests or public records as described at the meeting.
