Council Plans Public Hearing and Meeting on Late City Audits

The New Britain City Council is set to hold a hearing and meeting on the city financial audit reports that were reported to the state late two years in a row by the administration of Mayor Erin Stewart (R).

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

The recent late audit report follows an 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 recent audit reports repeat problems that were unresolved from the previous year’s report.

The Council has scheduled a public hearing for Monday, July 22, 2024 at 6:00pm in city hall to examine,

1. Re: Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR) For Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 2022.

2. Re: Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR) For Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 2023.

The Council notes,

Individuals seeking to join the public hearing remotely may join the queue beginning at 5:55 pm by calling 1 (339) 209-6176. Members of the public may attend in person or view a live broadcast via the livestream link at https://www.newbritainct.gov/meetings or
https://www.youtube.com/@CONBCT/streams

After that hearing, the Council plans a meeting of its Committee on Administration, Finance, Law and Public Services, also on July 22nd. The agenda of that meeting includes,

1. Re: Presentation Of Audited Financial Statement Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 2023

2. Re: Status Of Finance Department Staffing And Capacity

3. Re: Response/Progress Made On Establishing Formal Financial Close Process (Findings 2022).

4. Re: Plan Of Action To Strengthen Internal Controls And Implement Financial Close Process (Findings 2023)

5. Re: Request For Qualifications And Timetable To Conduct Audit 2025-2026

The Council’s Majority Leader, Ald. John McNamara (D-4) has suggested that the Council intends to assert a stronger role in selecting the independent auditors for the city and reviewing their findings.