Kevin Wilson presses Orange Select Board over conflicting audit updates

Kevin Wilson, a resident who identified himself during public comment, asked the Orange Select Board to reconcile two different accounts of the town’s audit progress.

“I would just like the clarification from the board,” Wilson said, noting that the February 26 meeting record indicated the 2024 audit was “0.5 to 0.75 done,” while an April 20 statement said the audit had not been started. He asked whether two board members had received differing reports from the same auditor.

Board members discussed which audit had been referenced and the source of the discrepancy. One board member said the work had been affected by missing materials and by communications with the town’s former treasurer; the auditor was referenced in the meeting as “Bachelor Associates.” The same board member also told the room, “I’ve taken care of it, and we’re moving on.”

Speakers also noted uncertainty about whether earlier remarks in the February video were attributed to the same audit year; the record included references both to 2022 and to the 2024 audit. The board did not record a formal vote or provide a definitive, documented status update in the transcript excerpt; no written timeline or new completion date for the audit was entered on the record during the meeting.

Why it matters: an external financial audit is a primary transparency tool for towns. For residents who saw conflicting statements on the record, Wilson said the inconsistency undermined confidence in the board’s public reporting. The Select Board did not, in the provided transcript, publish a reconciled status or a clear assignment of follow‑up tasks during the meeting.