County brings on interim finance contractor to reconcile FY25–FY26, committee to review contract

Lancaster County officials reported this meeting that an independent interim finance contractor began work this week to help reconcile prior fiscal years and support audit follow‑up.

Staff member said the contractor, identified in the meeting by her first name Kimberly, was selected from a short list facilitated by Beckert’s firm and began assistance two weeks ago; the current engagement is a three‑month independent contract and the contractor is local to the Richmond area and is expected to be on site daily. "The assistance started 2 weeks ago," staff said.

Director told the committee Kimberly’s initial priorities will be reconciling FY25 and FY26, closing out open years and reviewing past audit reports to determine outstanding corrective actions. Members recommended that Kimberly participate in the upcoming audit solicitation process in September and suggested the committee reevaluate her contract around one to one‑and‑a‑half months after she starts.

Why it matters: The interim contractor is tasked with addressing the reconciliation work that must be completed before the county can run its Annual State Report and close the fiscal year. Committee members discussed whether temporary help or interns could assist with administrative cleanup; access and permissions were noted as barriers to using student interns for financial system work.

Next steps: The committee agreed to monitor Kimberly’s progress over the next 30–60 days, to include her in audit procurement work in September, and to schedule a contract review with the executive committee and full board if needed.