City council discusses 2019 audit, committee

JACKSON, Tenn. — At Tuesday’s city council meeting, certified public accountant Matt Wood discussed last year’s audit for the City of Jackson.

“We had multiple findings. Most of them dealt with our expenditures exceeding revenue, as well as some interfund loan balances that we had to clear up, and some smaller things we’ll be clearing up internally,” said budget committee chair and city council member Paul Taylor.

Taylor says one of his concerns was the departments going over their budgets.

“What that means is we have to do a better job of budgeting. So the budget committee is taking on the task of assisting in that and making recommendations,” Taylor said.

The budget committee is also facing another task.

The city council voted Tuesday for them to act as the new audit committee, which Taylor says they had been talking about and the state comptroller’s office asked the city to create.

“I think it’s a little serendipitous that we’re at this point where the comptroller has reviewed our 2018 audit and those findings, and it making that recommendation and that requirement as well,” Taylor said.

Mayor Scott Conger says creating an audit committee was only a recommendation.

When asked why the state’s comptroller office had to step in and require them to make an audit committee?

“So it wasn’t a requirement,” Conger said.

Conger and Taylor both agree that the committee was necessary.

“Budget committee was established. We had already been talking about an audit committee before the comptroller sent their letter, so we have been taking those steps. We were taking them on our own, so it’s affirming that we’re doing the things the comptroller wants us to do anyway,” Conger said.

The audit committee was voted for unanimously.

In the meeting, the city council amended the resolution for it, adding the only people connected to the city who can be on it are elected city council members.