Auditors had done a field survey of the finance department policies and procedures and issued a 7-page letter addressing “issues, as far as they are concerned,” said Jay.Such issues must be corrected or will be addressed by the auditors in their report, she added.One concern of auditors centered on “Everyone is let into the till,” i.e. has access to checks, which auditors recommended be locked away in a separate area, said Jay.“I’ve been at cities where the auditors issued letters and they were an accounting nightmare; or you can say you don’t agree or can’t afford,” changes or equipment, she added.“In auditing language there are two types of concerns,” said Cosentini. “Things of a material nature are big concerns, threats to the security,” of city finances, or “like our letter, concerns of a lesser nature.” The number of personnel can be the issue when it comes to “checks and balances,” he noted.Council members Laura Flores Espinosa and John Procter as well as Vice Mayor Ray Luna voted against hiring the two new positions that Mayor Don Johnson and Councilman Rick Cook recommended.Luna cast the lone no vote when the council approved bringing the issue back in the future for further discussion.
City Council turns thumbs down on hiring two new finance staffers
August 24, 2001
Santa Paula City Council
A split City Council turned thumbs down on hiring two new staffers at an annual cost of about $92,000 for the finance department but agreed to bring the issue back in the future.
By Peggy KellySanta Paula TimesA split City Council turned thumbs down on hiring two new staffers at an annual cost of about $92,000 for the finance department but agreed to bring the issue back in the future.The council made the decision during the Aug. 7 Budget Hearing.City Manager Peter Cosentini told the council that Glenda Jay, finance director, received corrective feedback from the auditors, which demonstrated the department is “understaffed to do it right. . .I have mixed feelings about this,” as the police and fire departments have historically been understaffed, he noted.But Cosentini said he recommended two new positions, a senior accountant and accounting technician, overruling Jay who had suggested three new staffers be hired. The senior accountant would have a salary and benefits package of $74,167; the accounting technician’s annual compensation package would be worth $34,454. The total for the two positions would be $91,884 annually.Unqualified audits are the goal of new personnel, as well as personnel for policy writing, “notably absent in the finance department,” said Cosentini.Councilman John Procter later asked the difference between a qualified and unqualified audit; Jay said an unqualified audit means the city is doing things correctly.
