Barrow Journal

The Statham Fiscal Year 2016 audit is not done, and one city council member and the mayor demonstrated their unhappiness with that at Tuesday’s council meeting.
The audit was not on the council agenda.
The issue was raised at the end of the meeting by council member Dwight McCormic.
City attorney Thomas Mitchell had said a closed session was needed for “real estate disposition” and McCormic interrupted with, “Could we discuss this a few minutes first.”
He was referring to an email sent to city officials Tuesday from the accounting firm of Hawkins & McNair, the city’s auditors.
The auditors, Jerry Hawkins and “Woody” McNair, had been asked to report to council.
The company completed the city’s FY2015 audit last spring. Hawkins told city officials then that the company could complete the FY2016 and FY2017 audits by the end of 2018.
Council member Eddie Jackson called the company’s work “a very inadequate job.”
He said he talked to the auditors with city administrator Mai Chang last week. He said he asked for a report.
“I don’t call this much of a report,” Jackson said of the email.
Hawkins said he could not add anything “concerning the audit.” Jackson said he “blamed” the lack of results on “Woody” McNair.
McNair said he was sick. He said his grandson is visiting and “brings home every disease that the kids at his preschool carry.”
The last sentence of McNair’s email said the city is “just at the point of cleaning up the first quarter of 2017 and not ready for us to start that year.”
McCormic asked Chang if she could financially handle the city’s accounts. She said she could but only after a new city clerk is trained. Chang said after the meeting it would take about three months to train the new clerk, Kay Fortney.
“We’re in the weeds again. We’re back at the beginning,” McCormic said.
“Any time you all want to drop by (the accountants) and ask questions, drop by and ask questions ’cause I can’t do anything with them,” Bridges said.
See more in the Jan. 16 edition of the Barrow News-Journal.