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Orange Select Board orders review after auditors change town accounting records
Summary
The Select Board voted to send a letter to auditing firm Cohos Advisors and to research other auditors after town treasurer staff said Cohos converted the town’s QuickBooks entries from cash to accrual accounting back to 2022. The board also directed staff to investigate auditor choices used by nearby towns.
The Orange Select Board voted Nov. 4 to ask its auditor for an explanation and to seek alternatives after the town Treasury reported that Cohos Advisors made accounting changes to the town’s QuickBooks file.
Deputy Treasurer Tessa Johnson and other Treasury staff told the board that Cohos accessed the town’s online QuickBooks and changed accounting from a cash basis to an accrual basis going back to 2022. The Treasury described the change as an overreach by the audit firm and recommended reversing the entries and notifying Cohos.
Select Board Chair Aaron Allen moved that the board write a letter expressing disappointment and request more information on what other towns use for auditors; the motion passed unanimously. The board added an action item to research auditor options used by neighboring towns, including Canaan and Dorchester.
The Treasury team had said the town operates on a cash basis that reconciles with other town offices; the Select Board’s action instructs staff to seek clarification and return with options before the next steps are taken. The board did not take a formal vote to change accounting practice in the record; its immediate actions were to seek reversal of the specific QuickBooks entries and to pursue alternative firms.
Next steps: staff will research alternative auditors and prepare a letter to Cohos Advisors. No timeline for the research or letter was specified in the minutes.
