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City attorney recommends hiring freeze, no overtime and monthly finance snapshots for council
Summary
City Attorney Beth Anne Childs told the council the new treasurer will provide a concise monthly financial sheet and recommended a hiring freeze, prohibition on overtime and mayoral approval for purchases; she also suggested implementing "positive pay" at Spirit Bank and reviewing the PO system.
City Attorney Beth Anne Childs briefed the council Sept. 23 on a recent meeting with Mayor Kris Wyatt, City Clerk Sabrina Mounce and Treasurer Ashley Hinshaw, saying Treasurer Hinshaw will present monthly financial sheets that break out bank balances, sales tax and fund allocations. Childs said the intent is to provide digestible financial information: "Yes, you will be getting a one or two-pages report, not fifty-two pages that you cannot understand and read. You will understand the finances."
Childs also recommended immediate administrative restrictions to stabilize city finances: "we need to do a hiring freeze, NO overtime and NO purchases of anything unless approved by the Mayor," she told the council. She asked staff to explore using Spirit Bank's "positive pay" service and have the treasurer and accounts-payable clerk review the purchase-order system. Councilmember Judd Johns said he was supportive and asked that sales-tax breakouts be included in the report.
