Reid on Audit: "Forget About the Past"

Despite Councilman William Reid's urgings not to look back, the City Council agreed Monday to vote next week on a forensic audit from 2006 to mid-2014.

The time frame spans former Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs' two terms and the first six months since Mayor Adrian O. Mapp took office.

Reid began his comments by saying, "What happened, happened already. We closed the book."

He deplored the $60,000 cost, which will come out of the Police Division's budget.

"Move on and forget the past," he said. "The past screwed up. We know that already. We don't need to put $60,000 on the taxpayer any more."

In contrast, Councilwoman Rebecca Williams said a forensic audit could uncover illegalities and problems in city systems.

"It will uncover if there is something still going on," she said, calling it "the height of irresponsibility to not do right by the residents."

As reported by Plaintalker, the city lacked a permanent chief financial officer since 2007 and had a high degree of turnover in the cabinet during the previous administration. Council President Bridget Rivers noted the city is audited every year and asked whether that auditor could "dig deeper," but Finance Director Ron West said the annual audit is based on information provided by the city.

"You tend not to want your internal auditor" to take a forensic look, he said, adding, "They may also be on the hook."

In October, auditor Bob Swisher and CFO Al Steinberg reported to the governing body on the 2013 audit, which gave a picture of fiscal disarray, including poor cash handling practices and not keeping up the general ledger, which Swisher said was off at one point by $55 million.

Councilman Cory Storch endorsed the forensic audit Monday, saying, "This is one way to find the problems in a way that our staff doesn't have time to do."

All council members except Reid agreed to put the resolution for a forensic audit on the agenda for the Dec. 8 meting.

Concerns about city finances pervaded the past eight years, with Reid alternately defending and deploring actions by Robinson-Briggs. When Steinberg was named CFO for a four-year term in January, the audience at the council meeting broke into applause.

--Bernice