“I think with the turmoil and change in administration taking place at the same time the Forensic Audit was being done, there was confusion,” explains Frank Steele, City of Fairfield’s annual auditor. “The $281,000 referred to in the Forensic Audit is not missing. W.D. Brown & Associates never contacted me for clarification on anything.”
These comments were made at the September 11, 2018 Fairfield City Council Meeting in response to W.D. Brown & Associates’ concern that $281,790.96 from the TDCJ Fund was possibly missing or misspent.
“Most [cities] maintain a book on cash accounting, in which a principal payment is marked as a note reduction and not an expense,” says Steele. “I believe this is where the confusion is.”
Steele went on to explain that if things had been normal at the City when the Forensic Audit was occurring, most likely the issue would have been addressed by the previous City Administrator, who ended up being terminated during that time.
During Department Head Reports, Director of Public Works, Clyde Woods explained that he spoke with the City’s engineering firm, and that once papers are signed by the attorney, work should begin on the repaving of South Bateman Road, weather permitting.
Parks & Recreation Director, Shorty Corley, spoke about the weekend events of September 7-8th. “We had the Car Show, Coon Hunters, and Big T events going on that weekend,” he says. “Everyone worked together as a team. We had no issues and clean up was good.”
Also at this meeting, Council voted to approve a bid for 5-T Utilities of Huntsville, Texas in the amount of $1,481,929.19 for infrastructure work on the extension at the Fairfield Industrial Park; and to hire James Jones to begin working in the Water/Wastewater department at the rate of $17.50 per hour.
