Milton council approves auditor's request to bill for extra audit work, 6–2

The Milton City Council voted 6–2 on July 23 to authorize Warren Averett to bill for audit work the firm says exceeded its original engagement.

Kristen McAllister, the Warren Averett representative, told the council the notice was "not an invoice at this time" but that the firm planned to "provide a bill to the city at the conclusion of the audit" after evaluating total additional time and applying a customary discount. McAllister said the firm expects to receive final bank reconciliations soon and has set a tentative completion date for the end of August.

Council members pressed for clarity about whether the extra work had been pre‑authorized by the city manager. McAllister said she had kept the city manager informed and that city staff assembled a team to resolve outstanding items; other members said the council should have been notified earlier about significant additional costs. A motion "to approve the request by Warren Averett regarding out of scope work as the letter is worded" was made by Councilman McKeon and seconded by Councilman Powell; the mayor announced the motion passed 6–2, with Councilman Farrow and Councilman Cusack voting no.

The approved authorization ratifies the auditors' extra work to date; McAllister told the council the majority of additional time was incurred in May and early June and that the firm "would hope it's a 0" going forward — i.e., no further out‑of‑scope time would be required. She also said the firm normally applies a discount to city services when billing for extra effort.

The mayor said the special called meeting's narrow purpose was to consider the auditor's request and encouraged further discussion about notification procedures in an upcoming work session. The council also noted related agenda items scheduled later the same evening, including a discussion about the controller position and the millage rate.