Monroe Audit Budget to Become Council Responsibility

Perhaps the most notable occurrence at last night’s meeting of the Monroe City Council in a budget hearing was the revelation that the line item for external audit expense had been moved from the administration category to that part of the budget under the control of the council.

What that means is the council will be responsible for hiring the auditor that does the annual financial report for the city.

Formerly, the administration hired the auditor, and the council approved the hire.

Otherwise, the council spent the meeting going over dozens of budget line items, asking questions about revenues and expenses, with little out of the ordinary.

Fielding most of the questions were Budget Director Curtis Heard, Director of Accounting Stacey Haynie, and Director of Administration David Barnes.

At the beginning of the meeting, Council Chair Ray Armstrong (District 1) noted that the purpose of the hearing was to provide the council and the public with in-depth information about the budgeting process.

Said Armstrong, “One of our major functions is to review and control and pass the budget.”

Notable in the audience were two former Legislative Auditors, David Greer and Alan Brown.

Greer was most recently the Fiscal Administrator appointed to oversee the Town of Gibsland, and Brown was often seen in the courtroom during the trial of former Jonesboro mayor Leslie Thompson.

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