New Britain Budget Audit Late for Yet Another Year
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New Britain Budget Audit Late for Yet Another Year

The city of New Britain annual budget audit, required under state law, is anticipated to be three months late, according to a report recently submitted to the City Council.

The information came to light in response to an official Council petition filed by the Council Majority Leader, Ald John McNamara (D-4).

The city was required to submit its audit reports by the end December of 2024 for city budget year that was from July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024. Now, a city official has reported that the report is not anticipated until the end of March.

The city’s financial audits were already an issue in the city, as legally-required audit reports were reported to the state late two years in a row by the administration of Mayor Erin Stewart (R), with the most recent required report making it three years in a row late.

The report for the city budget year that was from July 1, 2022 to June 30, 2023 was submitted, nearly six months late. According to state law, the report was due by the end of December of 2023.

That followed even later audit report for the budget year that was from July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2022. That, fiscal year 2022, report was due in December of 2022 and was nearly a year late, filed in December of 2023.

The audit for the 2022-2023 budget year also reported repeat problems that were unresolved from the previous year’s report.

The late reports prompted the Council to act to reassert its statutory authority over city budget audits, after years of that function being under the executive branch of the city government.

In a report to the Council on the agenda of the February 12th Council meeting, city Finance Director Jonathan Perugini explained the current status of the lateness of the report for the budget year that ended last June as,

On January 10, 2025 there was a meeting between the Finance Department and the Auditors on outstanding items of the FY 24 independent financial audit, state and federal single audits. The City has outstanding items as well as the auditors have questions on already completed sections as well as requiring additional information to finalize completed sections.

“They will be here in City Hall the week of January 27, 2025 to work on the audit,” Perugini added, “and the anticipated completion date is March 31, 2025.”

A Council petition is a process in the New Britain City Council by which an individual Council member can require a report from a city department or official consideration of a concern or proposal.