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Council hears three audit firm presentations, delays auditor award
Summary
Three audit firms presented services and fees in a public forum; firms explained single-audit requirements, staffing and a preference for a three-year engagement. Staff recommended inviting the apparent awardee back for questions and returning the formal award to the next meeting.
Three firms presented 3- to 5-minute overviews Thursday as Edwardsville City officials reviewed proposals to serve as the city auditor. The council heard firms describe compliance work, single-audit experience and fees, but took no final award.
Why it matters: Choosing a municipal auditor affects the citys annual financial review, federal single-audit compliance if federal expenditures meet thresholds, and the citys capacity to get technical assistance on payroll and IRS correspondence.
At the meeting, one presenter noted the citys compliance checklist "doesn't talk specifically about payroll" and described how auditors reconcile Forms 941 and W-3 to a general ledger. That presenter said the firm can help the city correspond with the IRS to resolve payroll-related issues that surface after the fact.
Another presenter described the firm's size and municipal experience, saying the firm has "over 300 employees" with a dedicated governmental-audit team and that fees were broken out for the standard audit versus any required single-audit work.
Kelsey, a presenter, framed the engagement as more than a statutory checklist: "When I'm done, not only do I give you the nice little statutory guidelines, but that could be trends. I wanna know what your spending looks like over the last 5 years," Kelsey said, adding the firm typically proposes three-year terms and provides analysis of cash position, tax-base concentration and utility fund benchmarks.
Firms explained single-audit procedures and fees: a speaker said an additional single-audit engagement often begins around $1,500 depending on the scope; presenters emphasized testing a percentage of federal expenditures as part of compliance work.
Council and staff discussed procurement fairness after sealed bids produced submissions in different formats. Staff recommended inviting the proposer they expect to recommend back to answer council questions and returning the formal contract action to the next meeting two weeks out; the council moved the item to further discussion rather than making an award.
Next steps: Staff will invite the recommended firm to present again and the council expects to consider a formal award at the next meeting. No contract was awarded or finalized at this session.
