At the request of Council President Bob Michalson and Councilmember Stacie Barker, the Stevensville Town Council considered conducting a “special audit” regarding the Town’s 2018-19 FY budget at its September 24. Michalson was not in attendance.
Barker stated that after the budget was first brought forward, “We obviously came up with money for an employee pay raise of about $11,000. We feel like maybe some things need to be looked at and some questions answered. We need to have a special audit done.”
Councilmember Robin Holcomb said, “I’m in agreement because when we first started the budget there was a $120,000 deficit and then we found the money, but yet we are fighting just to get decent computers for the Council to conduct their business like they need to. I don’t know what’s going on, where the money is coming from, where it was. I just feel like we need to just look into it.”
Asked by Councilmember Raymond Smith if the employees were given a pay raise, Mayor Brandon Dewey said that no wages and salaries had yet been adopted.
“We adopted a budget but without any wages and salaries? I don’t understand that,” said Smith.
Dewey explained that the Council approved the budget which gives “spending authority” for the wages and salaries, but Montana Code requires that actual wages and salaries be adopted in a separate resolution.
“There is a confusion amongst the Council between the budget and the cash on hand and the authority to spend that cash,” said Dewey.
Dewey said he didn’t know who they proposed to have do the audit but that a budget update meeting might be more appropriate and they could get into any questions they may have about any particular budget items and any questions about the cash on hand.
Barker said that Michalson, who was absent, has all the documentation about their concerns so she could not elaborate.
“Maybe we should discuss it at a different meeting,” she said.
Holcomb said, “It’s best to table this until we have all four of us here.” She withdrew her motion to do a special audit and moved to table the issue until October 22.
In public comment, Vicki Motley requested that the Council tell the public who will be doing the audit and what the cost will be.
Michael Sharkey said, “We need some specificity in the issues, not just you feel like it should be done.”
Former Mayor Gene Mim Mack said he would encourage the motion sponsors to consider their wording.
“A budget is just a document full of numbers that you agree to at the beginning of the year,” said Mim Mack. “A special audit of the budget is non-sense. It seems to me you are suggesting you want to know how the money has been spent or allocated from budget passage to this date. The Treasurer submits that information regularly and it is readily available to the public and the council.
“The idea of a special audit also infers an illegality and you are looking for something illegal. If you are suggesting that, then it needs to be presented so that the public knows what your concerns are, because those kinds of concerns are very important to the public. You need to have substantial information about what you are looking for, just to get a cost estimate. And special audits may be more expensive than a regular audit.”
The vote was 3 to 0 to table the issue until October 22.
In other business, the Council approved an amendment to the 2017-2018 FY budget in the amount of $6,119.15 to cover a late invoice from the period for work done on two of the town’s new fire engines.
The Council also approved the Mayor’s recommendation of Kent Myers and Dan Kerslake to serve as Urban Supervisors to the Bitterroot Conservation District.